Youth Evangelism Ministry

26 September 2010

 Dear Phyllis,

I wrote to you about James a few weeks ago. He is that very fine Thai brother starting out serving the Lord. He got canned from the organization he was with and came to me asking advice as to what he should do. He has the heart, vision, and gifts for being a very fine servant of Christ. I told him, “Don’t worry about finances. If God orders something that means that He is responsible to pay for it. You worked for AI before and they supported you. Work for God and He will support you.” He decided to start his own mission and called himself Youth Evangelism Ministry – YEM. He made up a brochure hoping to raise funds to get his ministry off the ground. I warned him about tin-cup fund raising. Much has happened since then.

He was working with a very fine church as the song leader. The pastor wanted to take him on as full time staff. This looked like a pretty good deal except their vision was not a direct overlay, but there was so much in common that I advised him to go along with the pastor as far as possible. Where he felt the Lord had spoken to him specifically about some other aspect to do that on his own.

 One major point was that he wanted to have a home to help minority boys who had no place to live while they go to college. He had five boys he was responsible for when he was with AI. When he got put out on the street the boys said they would move out also. He wanted to have a house for them but that would cost about $130 a month. The pastor didn’t share that vision quite as keenly but did say they could stay in a room at the church. James also wanted to work on college campuses and the pastor was asking him to work on the same four college campuses where he already had meetings. I asked, “What’s the problem? Do it!” I could see James as an excellent youth pastor for the church and I thought the pastor was a very reasonable man. I don’t know him well but he seems to be a first-class pastor. James is over to see me for an hour almost every night.

 The first problem was money. John was very supportive of James wanting to have his own ministry but strongly advised him to do it through the church where there would be accountability. The pastor was agreeable and they set up an account for James in the church. The Lord gave him $850 the first month – which is quite a lot of money. But then James said the pastor was using his money for church things. We checked on that and the pastor had a good explanation in that he had spent it on things for James. He also promised to keep his hands off James’ money. There is a lot I don’t understand but it suspect most of it is misunderstanding between the pastor and James.

The second hurdle was more difficult. James came to see me saying that the pastor wanted him to cancel all the meetings he has going in four universities and start new ones. Why? He said the explanation was that the present meetings were not church oriented. None of the young people going to James’ meeting go to that church. The pastor doesn’t want any meetings where the students are going to another church. That was a little depressing.

I can understand the pastors thinking, but he is dead wrong. I don’t know so much about Thai but that certainly is 100% Japanese thinking. It is because of that self-oriented, vacuum cleaner, attitude that the church in Japan – and probably Thailand – is so weak. But most pastors are very strongly that way. James was in agony.

An hour later I was genuinely surprised at the counsel I gave him. Basically what I advised him was to bow the knee. Not because the pastor is right and James is wrong, but for the sake of Christian character development. I told James this was the most important thing at this stage of the game. I can see James as being a very effective mission leader, but the first step to leading is to learn to be a good follower. I told him he could step out on his own and refuse the discipline of the pastor. The Lord might bless him in doing so, and he might have a successful ministry, but he would get seriously short-changed in what he might have learned through suffering. It is like death for him to consider closings the meetings he has had going for over a year. It is like death for him to be restricted to staying at the church and doing odd jobs when he would rather be out witnessing for Christ. He still feels there have been some shortages in money. I said, “Hang it! Take the short end of the stick!” I know it is not right but it is good to suffer.

Maybe it is because I am older now, and it is easier to be deprived, but I see suffering as one of the most valuable experience the Lord deals out to us. Jesus was made perfect through suffering and we seriously short-change ourselves if we try to exempt ourselves from the thing that was so necessary for Jesus (Heb 2:10). [Of course Jesus was perfect, but His character had to be developed just liked His body and mind had to develop.]

As I was talking to James, I thought of the frustration of Jesus through His years of silence. It was strongly in His heart to serve His Father when He was 12 years old (Lk. 2:42, 49, 51). What must have been burning in His heart when He was 18, when He was 20, when He was 25, and when He was 29? He must have had a great desire to be about His Fathers business, but He quietly stayed in the carpenter’s shop making shavings. During that same period, He watched His cousin, John, launch out and became a huge national icon as a major prophet. They were virtually the same age, but John must have preceded Him in the ministry by ten years. That certainly was one type of suffering.

The story of David is recorded in 1^st Samuel and 2^nd Samuel. 1^st Samuel is the story of David up until he became king and 2^nd Samuel is his life after he was king. Of the two, my favorite book is hands down 1^st Samuel. Without a question David’s greatest moments were when he was living in a cave running from Saul. After he was king, life was certainly better, but he made some grievous mistakes that are so bad I dread to read them. The years of suffering were the best years of David’s life.

 Joseph is perhaps the most perfect type of Christ in the Bible. He was marvelous as the Prime Minister of Egypt. But it took twenty years of suffering to develop that splendid character. It is wonderful to read about his life when he was in charge of Egypt, but that character was developed when he was a servant in Potiphar’s house and in prison. He never would have been the man of God that he was had he not gone through the furnace of suffering.

I gave James the illustration of two women. For instance; both were committed Christians and highly gifted in serving the Lord. Both had difficult husbands who were restrictive on their ministries. One woman was quietly submissive and accepted her husband’s limitations. The other was defiant. She said, “Hang you Jack! You’re not going to tell me what to do. I’m going to serve Jesus and if you don’t like it you can stuff it!” I asked James, “Which one is the most honoring to the Lord?” Of course the first one. I told James there are a lot of women out there that are just like the second woman. They may have a productive ministry, but they have a hard, nasty, defiant, spirit. They are loud-mouth, boisterous, self-willed; and they are a disgrace to the Name of Christ. Having a successful ministry is not the main thing. Having the right, Christ-like, spirit is the thing that is precious to God. 

As I approach my more senior years, I see Christ-like character as an extremely valuable commodity. I believe character is far more important than a predictive ministry. I have seen enough of life to know that many ministries have some of the most lamentable leaders at the top. God will certainly use them, but in heaven I fear they will be standing at the rear of the line.

In talking with Mark about James’ problem, he strongly disagreed with me. He said, “If the pastor is that kind of a man, who thinks only of his own advantage, it s wrong for James to submit himself to him. He said, if James already has well attended Bible classes going in four universities he should tell the pastor, “Gomen nasai (I’m sorry) but I am not going to cancel them just because they don’t come to your church and I am not going to devote myself to promoting your ministry. I am here to serve Jesus.”

 I know exactly what Mark is talking about. Thirty years ago I would have said the same thing. But the problem is that Mark doesn’t’ see the character issue as clearly as it do. It is very American to be independent. And it is more typical of younger men to say, “If I can’t have it my way I’m not gong to do it.” (Mark is nearly 30 years younger than me.)

 I believe the day will come when James will be a mission leader. I believe he will be a very good one. But if suffering was necessary to produce the marvelous character in Joseph and David; and the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering; I believe it is highly doubtful that we will be like Him if we prefer to exempt ourselves from the very thing that was so needful for Joseph, David and Jesus.

Just a few thoughts. What do you think Phyllis?

                                                                                 bill

Availability, Dependability and Expendability

19 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

Several years ago I was speaking to a large team who had come from the states for Bible runs into Vietnam and Laos. I began my message by saying that I wanted to talk to them about three ABILITIES. Ability is the least important. God is not looking for outstanding people with great ability. Very often these are the ones that God sets to one side saying He can’t use them. But the three qualifications that are the object of God’s search are; first AVAILABILITY, secondly DEPENDABILITY, and thirdly EXPENDABILITY.

The first one is obvious. It is imperative that a person is simply available. There are very few who are. Most of us are busily engages in doing our own thing. We have our own agenda and are not open to anything outside of what we have in mind. But if the will of God is a higher priority than our agenda, that makes a person available for God to use them in a capacity other than what they had in mind.

The second ability, dependability, is also fundamental. Paul summed it up when he said, “Moreover it is required of a steward that he be found faithful” (1Cor. 4:2). Only a fool would put much confidence in a man who was not faithful to perform some important task. And God is not that kind of a fool. To do His work He must have faithful servants who He can trust.

Expendability is not a qualification that is too highly considered today, but we are coming to a time in missions when this is going to be basic for anyone on the cutting edge for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. If a person is not expendable this means he is not available for missions that might cost his life. Jesus paid with His life to save us, and He has commanded His servants to follow Him. How in the world this obsession for safety crept into the church in America I don’t know, but it certainly is the dead opposite of what Jesus taught about taking up a cross and following Him. To those who heard Him then, that message had a singular meaning. When a man picked up a cross, there was no need to be concerned about safety. His future was settled. His next stop would be death – not deliverance.

I knew brother several years ago who was asked to go on an extremely dangerous mission in Laos. For all practical purposes it looked like a suicide one-way mission. In Vietnam and Laos passing out tracts is an automatic invitation for coffee and cake at the police station. In Vietnam the time factor is about 30 minutes. In Laos the response time is slower, but in these two countries it is guaranteed that you will be invited for a fellowship meeting at the police station. (Arrested)  In Laos the only way to pass out tracts is to put them in a box, under a blanket, or hide them in a book or someplace where they will be found later. Hopefully, the person who hid them is out of town by the time someone finds them. In the dangerous countries in SEA you never stay in the same town where you go to distribute tracts.

Bob had been asked to take a team of three other young folks to go into the southern Laos town of Saraten to tract bomb (distribute). One of their missions was to pull the Lao police down on them so that other teams could go into towns further north the next day to saturate these towns with tracts. They packed their backpacks full of tracts which weighed out exactly 100 kg (224 lbs.) The two girls carried 20 kg each and the boys carried 30 kg in their packs.

The first day they went down to Ratchathani, and then proceeded the next day to cross into Laos at Chong Mek. From there they went to Pakxe and caught a bus another 120 km to Saraten. Saraten is a very different town. I have been there several times and it is unlike anyplace I have been. It is literally the end of the road in Laos. There was virtually no center of town. You could stand in the center of town and wonder where it was. There was only one guest house in town, and that was 2 km from the bus terminal – which was only a field with no buildings.

The team took a tuk tuk (small three wheeled taxi) to the guest house and split up to explore the town to see how they could handle their mission the next day. At 9:00 PM they got back to the guest house to discuss their plans. Bob said, to him, the task looked impossible. Ted was more optimistic and suggested they leave the guest house at 5:00 AM and pass out the tracts as they walked one way to catch the 6:00 AM bus back to Pakxe. Bob responded, “That is a great idea, but how am I supposed to get the tracts out of my backpack? I’ve got 30 kg on my back and can’t get them out without taking my backpack off.” Then he suggested, “If you want to try that, we might go out at 6:00 and pass out half where we could carry them in a shoulder bag, and then walk one way to the bus terminal to take the 10:00 o’clock bus out of town.” That sounded like the only plausible approach.

The next morning they split up and walked the most desolate streets in Saraten to distribute tracts. An hour later they reassembled at the guest house. Bob’s success was zero. Ted did the same. They never had ten seconds without peering eyes watching them. In those days foreigners in Saraten looked like aliens. The girls came back five minutes later thoroughly terrified. They said, “We have been discovered!” They had put a tract under a rock and 10 seconds later a boy had grabbed it running around showing it to everyone.

It was 7:00 AM Tuesday morning. They had just proven that their mission was indeed impossible. Bob summed up their scenario that they had three options. One, they could put all their tracts in a trash can and hope no one would find them until they were safely back in Thailand. Even then, they were concerned that if someone found the tracts first, they might be arrested at the border. Two, they could pack all their tracts back to Thailand with them. And three, they could get three folks out of town and leave one turkey behind to pay the price and pass out the tracts. They all agreed that those were the only possible options.

Bob was not a gifted brother but he did have one unusual attribute. He was totally expendable. He had no family. He had no connections. And he had no other responsibilities. He could disappear and the world would be impoverished by nothing.

He took the other three team members to the bus terminal and loaded them on the 10:00 o’clock bus. The last thing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        he said was, “When you get back to Thailand, please call Japan and tell them what happened to me. And please cancel my flight out of Bangkok Thursday night.” When that bus pulled out Bob said that was the most desolated feeling he ever experienced. It was just like watching the last rocket ship go back to the earth leaving him standing on the face of the moon. Then a tremendous peace came over his heart. He didn’t have to worry about getting caught anymore. He had crossed that bridge. It wasn’t a matter of getting arrested, but how much he could get accomplished before he would be in jail.

To abbreviate the story, he got a motor bike and started riding all over town passing out tracts like a politician running for office. He passed out tracts to police and everyone. He said it was the easiest thing he ever did. People had never seen them and begged him for some. Three hours later he was back in his guest house room shaking his backpack upside down. It was slam empty! He couldn’t believe it! He had passed out 100 kg of tracts in three hours without being arrested.

That night he could hardly sleep. At 5:00AM he was leaving the guest house when he was greeted by the secrete police at the door and arrested. He hadn’t signed in the guest book and wrote down a different name and changed the number for his passport. Suddenly he realized that up until then he had been totally clothed in the amour of light (Rom. 13:12). He couldn’t have been more open. But when he wrote the wrong name and passport number he stepped into darkness and into the devil’s trap.

For three hours he was kept under house arrest at the guest house. Then six secrete policemen assembled to interrogate him. The lead man roared, “You are a Christian!” Bob roared right back, “Of course I am a Christian! Why don’t you become a Christian?” That so rattled everyone that all six men seemed intimidated by him. Bob said it was funny. No one wanted to talk to him. After 15 minutes of the most benign interrogation where the only thing they asked him was if he had any more “books”. Bob replied, “No, I am totally out but I will go get some more for you.”

Then an incredible miracle happened. They handed him his passport and said, “That is all.” Something like that had never happened in Laos. Bob thanked them, shook hands all around the room, and promised to come back. He threw his empty backpack over his shoulder and got to the bus terminal in time to catch the 10 o’clock bus for Pakxe. He got to the Thai border by 4:45 and safely checked out of Laos. A taxi was there waiting for him to take him to the bus terminal in Ratchathani. Bob was back in Chiang Mai by noon the next day.

 That afternoon he debriefed with the man who had asked him to go on this ridicules mission. He had worked in Laos for many years and said he had never heard anything liked it. A friend had bought him a plane ticket for Bangkok and Thursday night he was on a plane headed back to Japan.

That was one of the most amazing stories I had ever heard about work in Laos. Years later I was in Laos talking with one of the most knowledgeable missionaries working there and asked him, “Do you know anything about Saraten?” He said, “Yes, my wife is down there right now disciplining one of the most outstanding ladies we have ever met in Laos. Someone was down there seven years ago and handed her a tract.” I have subsequently heard that there is a strong church in Saraten.

 Bob is still floating around serving the Lord. Maybe someday he might join a large crowd of followers of Jesus in giving his life for others, but until then he is using his one great ability – expendability. That is what we all need.

                                                                             

The Other Entebbe Story

12 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

The other day I was telling a brother the story of 90 Minutes at Entebbe. You probably recall that famous event when some Israeli commandos went into Entebbe and rescued the hostages of a classic airline highjacking. That was one of the most amazing military rescue stunts ever pulled. But there is another major factor involved that very few people have ever heard. One night I was visiting a friend in Kobe. Another brother was there, who was an airline pilot, who told me this story personally.

In 1976 some Palestine terrorists highjacked an Air France airline on a flight from Paris to Tel Aviv. Idi Amin was the dictator of Uganda at that time and was in cahoots with the Palestinians in this plot. They had divided themselves in two teams. One team pulled off the highjacking and the other team was waiting on the ground when they arrive in Entebbe. The second team had all the guns and explosives to make a rescue attempt nearly impossible. The Uganda army was also involved and had over 200 soldiers guarding the terminal. They took the hostages in the airport terminal and wired the place up with explosives. If anyone tried to rescues them all the terrorists had to do was push the button and the place would go up in a ball of fire. They had the hostages there for a week while negotiations went on for the release of Palestinian terrorist being held in prison in Israel.

During that time the Jews planed a daring rescue attempt to go in there and bring these hostages back. How they did that was astounding. Somehow, they landed four C-130 aircraft at midnight night, and got in the terminal undetected, to be able to shoot the place up before anyone could push the destruct button. They killed or captured all the terrorists and rescued the 103 Jewish passengers with only three causalities killed. They blew up the entire Uganda Air Force of 11 Mig 19s at the airport, and flew everyone safely back to Tel Aviv. That was one of the most amazing military rescues ever pulled. How in the world they were able to get on the ground and in the terminal without being detected has been a great mystery.

As far as I know the man who wrote the book, Ninety Minutes at Entebbe, William Stevenson, never knew another key factor involved. Very few people have ever heard this story.

The American brother in Kobe told me that in 1974 he was unemployed and looking for a job. He saw a notice that Uganda Airline was looking for pilots. He applied for, and got a job. Jack told me that he was the personal pilot for Idi Amin and occasionally would fly with Amin in the right seat of an aircraft.

 

African natives are fairly good with machetes, but they make very poor airplane pilots. Consequently Amin was totally dependent on foreign pilots to fly his Uganda Airline. The gaijin (foreign) pilots were living with their families in Entebbe. The stores in Entebbe weren’t up to New York standards, and so they had an arrangement with Amin that they could do their shopping in foreign cities and bring it in duty free. That was fine with Amin, but the little custom agents didn’t like being cut out of the circle. As a result they had a problem with custom agents giving the pilots a hard time for duty. To get around that problem, the pilots decided to reschedule the London flight to land a midnight after the custom boys went home.

One night a flight came in and a custom agent, who was mad, was waiting for the pilot when he got off. The captain simply pushed the little turkey to one side and went in the office to fill out his flight report. When he came out, he was confronted by soldiers pointing AK47s at him. He got a chance to sleep in jail that night.

Needless to say, the pilots were less than pleased with this tactic. They called President Amin on the carpet and told him if they had one more incident like that he could eat his airplanes. They were out of there. Without the foreign pilots Amin would be dead meat.

Amin had a serious discussion with custom officials and airport officials telling them not to hassle these pilots. Likely, anyone who hassled a pilot would get shot. That was an extremely sensitive issue.

Unbeknown to anyone, that was two weeks before the skyjacking. When the Israeli commandos landed, everyone thought it was the London flight coming in. That is how they were able to get on the ground and get in the terminal undetected. The efficiency of that military operation was a near miracle, but had it not been for the London flight incident two weeks before then, the whole thing would have been virtually impossible. This was clearly the Hand of God.

Several years ago I heard a very interesting message by Bob Shade on the providence of God. Bob pointed out that a miracle is an interruption of natural forces by a supernatural force to change something naturally impossible – walking on water, raising the dead, healing the blind, etc. But providence is where nothing outside the laws of nature are involved. This is a matter of presetting the clock so that different natural events come together exactly at the right time to alter the course of events. The providence of God is actually more miraculous and amazing than regular miracles.

It would be a simple matter for God to send an angel to catch a child who just fell out of a three story window and place him safely on his feet on the ground. That would be a miracle. But it would be another matter if there was a truck loaded with pillows driving down the street and just happened along at the time the child fell so he landed in the truck of pillows. To do that He would have to have someone load the truck with pillows several hours before hand, and arrange all the stop lights in town so that the truck got to the exact right spot at the right time to catch the child. Which would be more amazing?  

Recently I read the testimony of a nurse in an under-equipped orphanage in Zimbabwe where they had a new born baby and the mother died in child birth. They only had one baby bottle with a nipple for milk. Due to an incident in heating the milk, the rubber nipple on the bottle got accidentally destroyed. Without the bottle nipple it would be nearly impossible to feed the baby. A young child in the orphanage prayed that Jesus would send them a new nipple. The American nurse admired the simple faith of the child but knew that there was virtually no way they could get a new nipple in time to save the baby’s life. To her utter amazement, hours later they got a large box of supplies that had been sent from the states several weeks before. In the box there were several new nipples. That is not a miracle. That is the providence of God. God knew their need and moved someone in New York months before then to put those nipples in that box. Then the box arrived right on time.

God knew all about the skyjacking well in advance and caused that custom incident to come up in Entebbe so that everyone at the airport thought that the Israeli commandos were the London flight coming in.

The Bible is full of stories of miracles but the Hand of God is also clearly seen in directing the events on this earth. One prophetic incident was when Caesar decided he wanted a new tax system that would require a thorough census of ALL THE WORLD. That meant that everyone in the world had to return to their native town to register. There was a young couple who lived in northern Israel but the husband’s native town was in Bethlehem nearly 150 km (95 miles) away. His wife was pregnant and this was the worse possible time to make such an arduous trip. But the Roman law prevailed forcing them to make a terribly hazardous trip. As it worked out, they just got there in time for the Baby to be born in Bethlehem. To fulfill that prophecy of the birth of Christ the Lord had to move Caesar and the entire Roman Empire months in advance. Such is the providence of God.

 The amazing thing is that the providence of God is operative clear down to our daily lives. How many times have we all experienced that! It is almost unbelievable to think that God directs the details of our life. If it is actually true that ALL THINGS are of God (Rom. 11:36), that we should thank Him for ALL THINGS (1Thes. 5:18); and God makes ALL THINGS to work together for good (Rom, 8:28); then that means there are no accidents for Christians. We can rest in the assurance that God has ordained His providence well in advance and it will get here right on time.

I had some friends, several years ago, that got caught in a LA traffic jam and missed their flight to Japan. That was the KAL Flight 007 that was shot down by the Russian fighter right off the coast of Japan in 1982. Not all things are that dramatic, or clear, but we can still trust the gracious Hand of God and thank Him for His providence.

I have friend, Mawngati, from Congo who is in serious trouble with his passport. It got stuck in the Congolese embassy in Beijing and I may have to go up there this week to get it for him. But, Lord willing, I hope to be back to spend our time our fellowship together next Sunday. Hope to see you then.

 Looking unto Jesus,

                                   bill

Sarah Jepson

5 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

 The other day I was talking with a brother and remarked, “The main point is, we must get people to Jesus.” Surly there is nothing more important than this. I am not interested in making folks Christian. There are a lot of Christians who have never met Jesus. They have become a member of a religion. They have changed their religious philosophy. If they study the Bible enough, they might have proper doctrine; but have they had a real encounter with Christ? I fear there are a number of Christians with correct doctrine who do not have a genuine relationship with the Lord.

My goodness, Jesus Himself told us that in the final day there would be MANY who will say unto Him, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name cast out demons, and in thy Name done many wonderful works?” And He will reply, “I never knew you. Depart from Me ye that work iniquity.” (Mt. 7:22,23). Spiritual power and miracles are no indication that a person is saved. Here in SEA we have an abundance of spiritual power and miracles that is openly demonic. You have the same thing in America – only it is done in the Name of the Lord. I have no problem with spiritual gifts or anything taught in scripture. But I believe that the devil duplicates all spiritual gifts. The exercise of spiritual gifts is no proof of the Holy Spirit. I have seen the devil speaking tongues and prophesy.

In any country where Christianity has gone, you will find Christian advocates of odorous doctrine. We have one of the major universities of Thailand here in Chiang Mai – Payap University. Payap was founded by missionaries many years ago to be a strong Christian school. But like so many other universities – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oberlin, etc., which were founded by men of God, they have lost their moorings and become citadels of satan. While Payap University is nationally known as a Christian school, I consider it one of the most evil places in Chiang Mai. The bars and brothels of Chiang Mai are not as evil as Payap. No one has ever lost their faith in a bar or brothel, but many earnest young Christian have gone to Payap University for an education and come away four years later as scoffers. They have been taught that the Bible is not true, and Jesus was just the founder of another religion. One of the top professors at Payap, John Budd, teaches that Jesus and Buddha are equal. The Bible is crystal clear that there are such things as false prophets, but very pastors and evangelists are willing to point them out. What has happened is, that men have come along with the proper academic credentials to fill positions of leadership, but have steered these institutions into the devils camp. This is by far the rule rather than the exception.

 But leaving all that aside, the question is, are people truly coming to Jesus? Are they solidly tied to Christ? Many years ago I had a little pamphlet that I used for a Gospel tract that was taken from a chapter of Watchman Nee’s book, Twelve Baskets Full. In it, Watchman Nee told about a time he was talking to a young girl who loved sin. He tried to share the Gospel with her, but she refused saying she loved the world, she loved sin, and had no desire to change. After she had raved on for half an hour about the pleasures of sin, Watchman Nee concluded by suggesting, “Let’s pray.” She was startled. “Who? Me? Pray? Who should I pray to?”

“Just talk to Jesus.”

“What should I say?”

“Just tell Him what you have just told me. He is a friend of sinners.”

Watchman Nee said, “Pray she did; a very unorthodox prayer indeed.” But then after she had told the Lord all about how she loved sin and had no desire for salvation, she burst out, “But please, Lord Jesus, give me that which I don’t want.” And she was saved. In her prayer she met Jesus.

I shared this story with a good friend. Some time later, Sam told me of an incident when he was talking to a Japanese man who was a strong atheist. After a long theological argument Sam suggested they pray. The man was genuinely surprised and asked, “How do you talk to God?” Sam asked, “If there was a God, and you had a chanced to speak to Him; is there anything you would like to ask Him?”

“Well, yes. If there was a God there are several things I would like to ask Him. But how do you talk to God?”

“You just talk to Him liked you talk to me. Let’s practice.”

The man proceeds to verbalize several things that were on his heart. Sam replied, “That’s good. Let’s try that again.”

The man repeated the things he had just said. Then, suddenly, he stopped and bust out, “It’s real! It’s real! There is a God!” Sam was startled. “How do you know God is real?”

“I’m talking to Him!” He had an encounter with Jesus.

Perhaps I told you this story before but it is so good I love to repeat it. Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing Sarah Jepson up in PBI, in Three Hills, Canada. She told the amazing story of a friend of hers who had been a missionary in Africa for many years. Then she got retired and sent back to the states. She had a passion for reaching Jews, and went to New York City. She got out the yellow pages of the NYC telephone book and made a list of all the Jewish heart specialists in New York. She would make an appointment to see the doctor. When she sat down, the doctor would say to her, “What is the problem with your heart, maam” She would reply, “Doctor, I didn’t come to talk about my heart but about yours.” At that, he would explode and roar, “You stupid woman! Get out!!!”

“Now doctor calm down. I have 15 minutes of your time. I will pay for this.” He would sit there with his arms folded, his eyes closed, and smoke coming out his ears for 14 minutes while she shared with him the good news of Jesus. Then she would ask, “Doctor, are you an honest man?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“Do you keep your word?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Doctor, I have a request. Please don’t do it now, but sometime in the near future, when you are alone in a room, I have two prayers I would like you to say. The first one is, ‘God, if You are God, did You have a Son?’ And secondly ask, ‘Was His Name Jesus?’.”

She would leave a name card, pay her $25 (this was 40 years ago), and go to the next one to do it all over again. She said it was amazing the number of Jewish doctors that would call her a few days later saying, “I did what you asked. The answer is ‘Yes’. Now what do I do?”

 These people are having spiritual encounters with the Lord. There is a vast difference between reaching a person intellectually and spiritual encounters. The intellectual might touch their mind, but the spiritual will change their heart.

In my reading of the Holiest of All I have been deeply impressed by the major difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant was fundamentally external, but the OT Tabernacle illustrated spiritual experience that would be enjoyed in the New dispensation. The Tabernacle was composed of three perimeters that depict three levels of Christian experience. In the otter court yard there was the brazen altar where the blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. This speaks to us of Calvary. In the Tabernacle proper there was the service of the priests. This speaks of those who go on to a higher level of serving God. But the veil was still there separating man from God. The Day of Atonement, when the high priest alone was able to enter into the holy of holies, was a faint prophecy of the day when the veil would be taken away, and man  would have access to the very presence of God. When the flesh of Jesus was torn, the veil was ripped asunder (Mt. 27:50,51: 2Cor. 3:14). But, tragically, very few Christians actually enter in this higher level of fellowship with God.

 Drawing near to God is not a matter of geological movement. Physically you can’t draw nearer. And coming into His presence is not something that can be scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Very often in our prayer meetings we say, “Lord, we come into Your presence now…” My foot! That is pure imagination. Drawing near to God is a matter of the heart. It is when our heart becomes like His that we get closer. Having a close friend is not living next door, but when our hearts are one. It is the same way with God. The only way we can draw near to God is by the working of the Holy Spirit, bringing us into conformity, where our heart is truly on the same page with His. But when this happens, we begin to experience the presence of God in a way that totally unknown to the natural man. It is in His presence that we find the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Why is it that so many Christians are joyless? I suspect one major reason is because they know so little of the presence of the Lord.

 Dear Phyllis, this is a subject that simply blows me away. I am stunned beyond words that Jesus has opened a way for us to have access to God that was impossible for Aaron. What kind of a salvation is this!? What kind of a life He is offering us?! I am utterly speechless when I think that by the Holy Spirit I have access to God.

Gomen nasai, this may not make much sense to you, and perhaps sounds a wee bit trite, but there is nothing trite about this to me.  Oh that Jesus would take us more into Himself. Lord grant it – for Jesus sake.  Amen!

                                                     bill

Sara Jepson

5 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

The other day I was talking with a brother and remarked, “The main point is, we must get people to Jesus.” Surly there is nothing more important than this. I am not interested in making folks Christian. There are a lot of Christians who have never met Jesus. They have become a member of a religion. They have changed their religious philosophy. If they study the Bible enough, they might have proper doctrine; but have they had a real encounter with Christ? I fear there are a number of Christians with correct doctrine who do not have a genuine relationship with the Lord.

My goodness, Jesus Himself told us that in the final day there would be MANY who will say unto Him, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name cast out demons, and in thy Name done many wonderful works?” And He will reply, “I never knew you. Depart from Me ye that work iniquity.” (Mt. 7:22,23). Spiritual power and miracles are no indication that a person is saved. Here in SEA we have an abundance of spiritual power and miracles that is openly demonic. You have the same thing in America – only it is done in the Name of the Lord. I have no problem with spiritual gifts or anything taught in scripture. But I believe that the devil duplicates all spiritual gifts. The exercise of spiritual gifts is no proof of the Holy Spirit. I have seen the devil speaking tongues and prophesy.

In any country where Christianity has gone, you will find Christian advocates of odorous doctrine. We have one of the major universities of Thailand here in Chiang Mai – Payap University. Payap was founded by missionaries many years ago to be a strong Christian school. But like so many other universities – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oberlin, etc., which were founded by men of God, they have lost their moorings and become citadels of satan. While Payap University is nationally known as a Christian school, I consider it one of the most evil places in Chiang Mai. The bars and brothels of Chiang Mai are not as evil as Payap. No one has ever lost their faith in a bar or brothel, but many earnest young Christian have gone to Payap University for an education and come away four years later as scoffers. They have been taught that the Bible is not true, and Jesus was just the founder of another religion. One of the top professors at Payap, John Budd, teaches that Jesus and Buddha are equal. The Bible is crystal clear that there are such things as false prophets, but very pastors and evangelists are willing to point them out. What has happened is, that men have come along with the proper academic credentials to fill positions of leadership, but have steered these institutions into the devils camp. This is by far the rule rather than the exception.

But leaving all that aside, the question is, are people truly coming to Jesus? Are they solidly tied to Christ? Many years ago I had a little pamphlet that I used for a Gospel tract that was taken from a chapter of Watchman Nee’s book, Twelve Baskets Full. In it, Watchman Nee told about a time he was talking to a young girl who loved sin. He tried to share the Gospel with her, but she refused saying she loved the world, she loved sin, and had no desire to change. After she had raved on for half an hour about the pleasures of sin, Watchman Nee concluded by suggesting, “Let’s pray.” She was startled. “Who? Me? Pray? Who should I pray to?”

“Just talk to Jesus.”

“What should I say?”

“Just tell Him what you have just told me. He is a friend of sinners.”

Watchman Nee said, “Pray she did; a very unorthodox prayer indeed.” But then after she had told the Lord all about how she loved sin and had no desire for salvation, she burst out, “But please, Lord Jesus, give me that which I don’t want.” And she was saved. In her prayer she met Jesus.

I shared this story with a good friend. Some time later, Sam told me of an incident when he was talking to a Japanese man who was a strong atheist. After a long theological argument Sam suggested they pray. The man was genuinely surprised and asked, “How do you talk to God?” Sam asked, “If there was a God, and you had a chanced to speak to Him; is there anything you would like to ask Him?”

“Well, yes. If there was a God there are several things I would like to ask Him. But how do you talk to God?”

“You just talk to Him liked you talk to me. Let’s practice.”

The man proceeds to verbalize several things that were on his heart. Sam replied, “That’s good. Let’s try that again.”

The man repeated the things he had just said. Then, suddenly, he stopped and bust out, “It’s real! It’s real! There is a God!” Sam was startled. “How do you know God is real?”

“I’m talking to Him!” He had an encounter with Jesus.

Perhaps I told you this story before but it is so good I love to repeat it. Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing Sarah Jepson up in PBI, in Three Hills, Canada. She told the amazing story of a friend of hers who had been a missionary in Africa for many years. Then she got retired and sent back to the states. She had a passion for reaching Jews, and went to New York City. She got out the yellow pages of the NYC telephone book and made a list of all the Jewish heart specialists in New York. She would make an appointment to see the doctor. When she sat down, the doctor would say to her, “What is the problem with your heart, mamm?” She would reply, “Doctor, I didn’t come to talk about my heart but about yours.” At that, he would explode and roar, “You stupid woman! Get out!!!”

“Now doctor calm down. I have 15 minutes of your time. I will pay for this.” He would sit there with his arms folded, his eyes closed, and smoke coming out his ears for 14 minutes while she shared with him the good news of Jesus. Then she would ask, “Doctor, are you an honest man?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“Do you keep your word?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Doctor, I have a request. Please don’t do it now, but sometime in the near future, when you are alone in a room, I have two prayers I would like you to say. The first one is, ‘God, if You are God, did You have a Son?’ And secondly ask, ‘Was His Name Jesus?’.”

She would leave a name card, pay her $25 (this was 40 years ago), and go to the next one to do it all over again. She said it was amazing the number of Jewish doctors that would call her a few days later saying, “I did what you asked. The answer is ‘Yes’. Now what do I do?”

These people are having spiritual encounters with the Lord. There is a vast difference between reaching a person intellectually and spiritual encounters. The intellectual might touch their mind, but the spiritual will change their heart.

In my reading of the Holiest of All I have been deeply impressed by the major difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant was fundamentally external, but the OT Tabernacle illustrated spiritual experience that would be enjoyed in the New dispensation. The Tabernacle was composed of three perimeters that depict three levels of Christian experience. In the otter court yard there was the brazen altar where the blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. This speaks to us of Calvary. In the Tabernacle proper there was the service of the priests. This speaks of those who go on to a higher level of serving God. But the veil was still there separating man from God. The Day of Atonement, when the high priest alone was able to enter into the holy of holies, was a faint prophecy of the day when the veil would be taken away, and man  would have access to the very presence of God. When the flesh of Jesus was torn, the veil was ripped asunder (Mt. 27:50,51: 2Cor. 3:14). But, tragically, very few Christians actually enter in this higher level of fellowship with God.

Drawing near to God is not a matter of geological movement. Physically you can’t draw nearer. And coming into His presence is not something that can be scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Very often in our prayer meetings we say, “Lord, we come into Your presence now…” My foot! That is pure imagination. Drawing near to God is a matter of the heart. It is when our heart becomes like His that we get closer. Having a close friend is not living next door, but when our hearts are one. It is the same way with God. The only way we can draw near to God is by the working of the Holy Spirit, bringing us into conformity, where our heart is truly on the same page with His. But when this happens, we begin to experience the presence of God in a way that totally unknown to the natural man. It is in His presence that we find the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Why is it that so many Christians are joyless? I suspect one major reason is because they know so little of the presence of the Lord.

Dear Phyllis, this is a subject that simply blows me away. I am stunned beyond words that Jesus has opened a way for us to have access to God that was impossible for Aaron. What kind of a salvation is this!? What kind of a life He is offering us?! I am utterly speechless when I think that by the Holy Spirit I have access to God.

Gomen nasai, this may not make much sense to you, and perhaps sounds a wee bit trite, but there is nothing trite about this to me.  Oh that Jesus would take us more into Himself. Lord grant it – for Jesus sake.  Amen!

                                                     bill

 

5 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

The other day I was talking with a brother and remarked, “The main point is, we must get people to Jesus.” Surly there is nothing more important than this. I am not interested in making folks Christian. There are a lot of Christians who have never met Jesus. They have become a member of a religion. They have changed their religious philosophy. If they study the Bible enough, they might have proper doctrine; but have they had a real encounter with Christ? I fear there are a number of Christians with correct doctrine who do not have a genuine relationship with the Lord.

My goodness, Jesus Himself told us that in the final day there would be MANY who will say unto Him, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name cast out demons, and in thy Name done many wonderful works?” And He will reply, “I never knew you. Depart from Me ye that work iniquity.” (Mt. 7:22,23). Spiritual power and miracles are no indication that a person is saved. Here in SEA we have an abundance of spiritual power and miracles that is openly demonic. You have the same thing in America – only it is done in the Name of the Lord. I have no problem with spiritual gifts or anything taught in scripture. But I believe that the devil duplicates all spiritual gifts. The exercise of spiritual gifts is no proof of the Holy Spirit. I have seen the devil speaking tongues and prophesy.

In any country where Christianity has gone, you will find Christian advocates of odorous doctrine. We have one of the major universities of Thailand here in Chiang Mai – Payap University. Payap was founded by missionaries many years ago to be a strong Christian school. But like so many other universities – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oberlin, etc., which were founded by men of God, they have lost their moorings and become citadels of satan. While Payap University is nationally known as a Christian school, I consider it one of the most evil places in Chiang Mai. The bars and brothels of Chiang Mai are not as evil as Payap. No one has ever lost their faith in a bar or brothel, but many earnest young Christian have gone to Payap University for an education and come away four years later as scoffers. They have been taught that the Bible is not true, and Jesus was just the founder of another religion. One of the top professors at Payap, John Budd, teaches that Jesus and Buddha are equal. The Bible is crystal clear that there are such things as false prophets, but very pastors and evangelists are willing to point them out. What has happened is, that men have come along with the proper academic credentials to fill positions of leadership, but have steered these institutions into the devils camp. This is by far the rule rather than the exception.

But leaving all that aside, the question is, are people truly coming to Jesus? Are they solidly tied to Christ? Many years ago I had a little pamphlet that I used for a Gospel tract that was taken from a chapter of Watchman Nee’s book, Twelve Baskets Full. In it, Watchman Nee told about a time he was talking to a young girl who loved sin. He tried to share the Gospel with her, but she refused saying she loved the world, she loved sin, and had no desire to change. After she had raved on for half an hour about the pleasures of sin, Watchman Nee concluded by suggesting, “Let’s pray.” She was startled. “Who? Me? Pray? Who should I pray to?”

“Just talk to Jesus.”

“What should I say?”

“Just tell Him what you have just told me. He is a friend of sinners.”

Watchman Nee said, “Pray she did; a very unorthodox prayer indeed.” But then after she had told the Lord all about how she loved sin and had no desire for salvation, she burst out, “But please, Lord Jesus, give me that which I don’t want.” And she was saved. In her prayer she met Jesus.

I shared this story with a good friend. Some time later, Sam told me of an incident when he was talking to a Japanese man who was a strong atheist. After a long theological argument Sam suggested they pray. The man was genuinely surprised and asked, “How do you talk to God?” Sam asked, “If there was a God, and you had a chanced to speak to Him; is there anything you would like to ask Him?”

“Well, yes. If there was a God there are several things I would like to ask Him. But how do you talk to God?”

“You just talk to Him liked you talk to me. Let’s practice.”

The man proceeds to verbalize several things that were on his heart. Sam replied, “That’s good. Let’s try that again.”

The man repeated the things he had just said. Then, suddenly, he stopped and bust out, “It’s real! It’s real! There is a God!” Sam was startled. “How do you know God is real?”

“I’m talking to Him!” He had an encounter with Jesus.

Perhaps I told you this story before but it is so good I love to repeat it. Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing Sarah Jepson up in PBI, in Three Hills, Canada. She told the amazing story of a friend of hers who had been a missionary in Africa for many years. Then she got retired and sent back to the states. She had a passion for reaching Jews, and went to New York City. She got out the yellow pages of the NYC telephone book and made a list of all the Jewish heart specialists in New York. She would make an appointment to see the doctor. When she sat down, the doctor would say to her, “What is the problem with your heart, mamm?” She would reply, “Doctor, I didn’t come to talk about my heart but about yours.” At that, he would explode and roar, “You stupid woman! Get out!!!”

“Now doctor calm down. I have 15 minutes of your time. I will pay for this.” He would sit there with his arms folded, his eyes closed, and smoke coming out his ears for 14 minutes while she shared with him the good news of Jesus. Then she would ask, “Doctor, are you an honest man?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“Do you keep your word?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Doctor, I have a request. Please don’t do it now, but sometime in the near future, when you are alone in a room, I have two prayers I would like you to say. The first one is, ‘God, if You are God, did You have a Son?’ And secondly ask, ‘Was His Name Jesus?’.”

She would leave a name card, pay her $25 (this was 40 years ago), and go to the next one to do it all over again. She said it was amazing the number of Jewish doctors that would call her a few days later saying, “I did what you asked. The answer is ‘Yes’. Now what do I do?”

These people are having spiritual encounters with the Lord. There is a vast difference between reaching a person intellectually and spiritual encounters. The intellectual might touch their mind, but the spiritual will change their heart.

In my reading of the Holiest of All I have been deeply impressed by the major difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant was fundamentally external, but the OT Tabernacle illustrated spiritual experience that would be enjoyed in the New dispensation. The Tabernacle was composed of three perimeters that depict three levels of Christian experience. In the otter court yard there was the brazen altar where the blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. This speaks to us of Calvary. In the Tabernacle proper there was the service of the priests. This speaks of those who go on to a higher level of serving God. But the veil was still there separating man from God. The Day of Atonement, when the high priest alone was able to enter into the holy of holies, was a faint prophecy of the day when the veil would be taken away, and man  would have access to the very presence of God. When the flesh of Jesus was torn, the veil was ripped asunder (Mt. 27:50,51: 2Cor. 3:14). But, tragically, very few Christians actually enter in this higher level of fellowship with God.

Drawing near to God is not a matter of geological movement. Physically you can’t draw nearer. And coming into His presence is not something that can be scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Very often in our prayer meetings we say, “Lord, we come into Your presence now…” My foot! That is pure imagination. Drawing near to God is a matter of the heart. It is when our heart becomes like His that we get closer. Having a close friend is not living next door, but when our hearts are one. It is the same way with God. The only way we can draw near to God is by the working of the Holy Spirit, bringing us into conformity, where our heart is truly on the same page with His. But when this happens, we begin to experience the presence of God in a way that totally unknown to the natural man. It is in His presence that we find the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Why is it that so many Christians are joyless? I suspect one major reason is because they know so little of the presence of the Lord.

Dear Phyllis, this is a subject that simply blows me away. I am stunned beyond words that Jesus has opened a way for us to have access to God that was impossible for Aaron. What kind of a salvation is this!? What kind of a life He is offering us?! I am utterly speechless when I think that by the Holy Spirit I have access to God.

Gomen nasai, this may not make much sense to you, and perhaps sounds a wee bit trite, but there is nothing trite about this to me.  Oh that Jesus would take us more into Himself. Lord grant it – for Jesus sake.  Amen!

                                                     bill

5 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

The other day I was talking with a brother and remarked, “The main point is, we must get people to Jesus.” Surly there is nothing more important than this. I am not interested in making folks Christian. There are a lot of Christians who have never met Jesus. They have become a member of a religion. They have changed their religious philosophy. If they study the Bible enough, they might have proper doctrine; but have they had a real encounter with Christ? I fear there are a number of Christians with correct doctrine who do not have a genuine relationship with the Lord.

My goodness, Jesus Himself told us that in the final day there would be MANY who will say unto Him, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name cast out demons, and in thy Name done many wonderful works?” And He will reply, “I never knew you. Depart from Me ye that work iniquity.” (Mt. 7:22,23). Spiritual power and miracles are no indication that a person is saved. Here in SEA we have an abundance of spiritual power and miracles that is openly demonic. You have the same thing in America – only it is done in the Name of the Lord. I have no problem with spiritual gifts or anything taught in scripture. But I believe that the devil duplicates all spiritual gifts. The exercise of spiritual gifts is no proof of the Holy Spirit. I have seen the devil speaking tongues and prophesy.

In any country where Christianity has gone, you will find Christian advocates of odorous doctrine. We have one of the major universities of Thailand here in Chiang Mai – Payap University. Payap was founded by missionaries many years ago to be a strong Christian school. But like so many other universities – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oberlin, etc., which were founded by men of God, they have lost their moorings and become citadels of satan. While Payap University is nationally known as a Christian school, I consider it one of the most evil places in Chiang Mai. The bars and brothels of Chiang Mai are not as evil as Payap. No one has ever lost their faith in a bar or brothel, but many earnest young Christian have gone to Payap University for an education and come away four years later as scoffers. They have been taught that the Bible is not true, and Jesus was just the founder of another religion. One of the top professors at Payap, John Budd, teaches that Jesus and Buddha are equal. The Bible is crystal clear that there are such things as false prophets, but very pastors and evangelists are willing to point them out. What has happened is, that men have come along with the proper academic credentials to fill positions of leadership, but have steered these institutions into the devils camp. This is by far the rule rather than the exception.

But leaving all that aside, the question is, are people truly coming to Jesus? Are they solidly tied to Christ? Many years ago I had a little pamphlet that I used for a Gospel tract that was taken from a chapter of Watchman Nee’s book, Twelve Baskets Full. In it, Watchman Nee told about a time he was talking to a young girl who loved sin. He tried to share the Gospel with her, but she refused saying she loved the world, she loved sin, and had no desire to change. After she had raved on for half an hour about the pleasures of sin, Watchman Nee concluded by suggesting, “Let’s pray.” She was startled. “Who? Me? Pray? Who should I pray to?”

“Just talk to Jesus.”

“What should I say?”

“Just tell Him what you have just told me. He is a friend of sinners.”

Watchman Nee said, “Pray she did; a very unorthodox prayer indeed.” But then after she had told the Lord all about how she loved sin and had no desire for salvation, she burst out, “But please, Lord Jesus, give me that which I don’t want.” And she was saved. In her prayer she met Jesus.

I shared this story with a good friend. Some time later, Sam told me of an incident when he was talking to a Japanese man who was a strong atheist. After a long theological argument Sam suggested they pray. The man was genuinely surprised and asked, “How do you talk to God?” Sam asked, “If there was a God, and you had a chanced to speak to Him; is there anything you would like to ask Him?”

“Well, yes. If there was a God there are several things I would like to ask Him. But how do you talk to God?”

“You just talk to Him liked you talk to me. Let’s practice.”

The man proceeds to verbalize several things that were on his heart. Sam replied, “That’s good. Let’s try that again.”

The man repeated the things he had just said. Then, suddenly, he stopped and bust out, “It’s real! It’s real! There is a God!” Sam was startled. “How do you know God is real?”

“I’m talking to Him!” He had an encounter with Jesus.

Perhaps I told you this story before but it is so good I love to repeat it. Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing Sarah Jepson up in PBI, in Three Hills, Canada. She told the amazing story of a friend of hers who had been a missionary in Africa for many years. Then she got retired and sent back to the states. She had a passion for reaching Jews, and went to New York City. She got out the yellow pages of the NYC telephone book and made a list of all the Jewish heart specialists in New York. She would make an appointment to see the doctor. When she sat down, the doctor would say to her, “What is the problem with your heart, mamm?” She would reply, “Doctor, I didn’t come to talk about my heart but about yours.” At that, he would explode and roar, “You stupid woman! Get out!!!”

“Now doctor calm down. I have 15 minutes of your time. I will pay for this.” He would sit there with his arms folded, his eyes closed, and smoke coming out his ears for 14 minutes while she shared with him the good news of Jesus. Then she would ask, “Doctor, are you an honest man?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“Do you keep your word?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Doctor, I have a request. Please don’t do it now, but sometime in the near future, when you are alone in a room, I have two prayers I would like you to say. The first one is, ‘God, if You are God, did You have a Son?’ And secondly ask, ‘Was His Name Jesus?’.”

She would leave a name card, pay her $25 (this was 40 years ago), and go to the next one to do it all over again. She said it was amazing the number of Jewish doctors that would call her a few days later saying, “I did what you asked. The answer is ‘Yes’. Now what do I do?”

These people are having spiritual encounters with the Lord. There is a vast difference between reaching a person intellectually and spiritual encounters. The intellectual might touch their mind, but the spiritual will change their heart.

In my reading of the Holiest of All I have been deeply impressed by the major difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant was fundamentally external, but the OT Tabernacle illustrated spiritual experience that would be enjoyed in the New dispensation. The Tabernacle was composed of three perimeters that depict three levels of Christian experience. In the otter court yard there was the brazen altar where the blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. This speaks to us of Calvary. In the Tabernacle proper there was the service of the priests. This speaks of those who go on to a higher level of serving God. But the veil was still there separating man from God. The Day of Atonement, when the high priest alone was able to enter into the holy of holies, was a faint prophecy of the day when the veil would be taken away, and man  would have access to the very presence of God. When the flesh of Jesus was torn, the veil was ripped asunder (Mt. 27:50,51: 2Cor. 3:14). But, tragically, very few Christians actually enter in this higher level of fellowship with God.

Drawing near to God is not a matter of geological movement. Physically you can’t draw nearer. And coming into His presence is not something that can be scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Very often in our prayer meetings we say, “Lord, we come into Your presence now…” My foot! That is pure imagination. Drawing near to God is a matter of the heart. It is when our heart becomes like His that we get closer. Having a close friend is not living next door, but when our hearts are one. It is the same way with God. The only way we can draw near to God is by the working of the Holy Spirit, bringing us into conformity, where our heart is truly on the same page with His. But when this happens, we begin to experience the presence of God in a way that totally unknown to the natural man. It is in His presence that we find the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Why is it that so many Christians are joyless? I suspect one major reason is because they know so little of the presence of the Lord.

Dear Phyllis, this is a subject that simply blows me away. I am stunned beyond words that Jesus has opened a way for us to have access to God that was impossible for Aaron. What kind of a salvation is this!? What kind of a life He is offering us?! I am utterly speechless when I think that by the Holy Spirit I have access to God.

Gomen nasai, this may not make much sense to you, and perhaps sounds a wee bit trite, but there is nothing trite about this to me.  Oh that Jesus would take us more into Himself. Lord grant it – for Jesus sake.  Amen!

                                                     bill

 

26 September 2010

Dear Phyllis,

I wrote to you about James a few weeks ago. He is that very fine Thai brother starting out serving the Lord. He got canned from the organization he was with and came to me asking advice as to what he should do. He has the heart, vision, and gifts for being a very fine servant of Christ. I told him, “Don’t worry about finances. If God orders something that means that He is responsible to pay for it. You worked for AI before and they supported you. Work for God and He will support you.” He decided to start his own mission and called himself Youth Evangelism Ministry – YEM. He made up a broacher hoping to raise funds to get his ministry off the ground. I warned him about tin-cup fund raising. Much has happened since then.

He was working with a very fine church as the song leader. The pastor wanted to take him on as full time staff. This looked like a pretty good deal except their vision was not a direct overlay, but there was so much in common that I advised him to go along with the pastor as far as possible. Where he felt the Lord had spoken to him specifically about some other aspect to do that on his own.

One major point was that he wanted to have a home to help minority boys who had no place to live while they go to college. He had five boys he was responsible for when he was with AI. When he got put out on the street the boys said they would move out also. He wanted to have a house for them but that would cost about $130 a month. The pastor didn’t share that vision quite as keenly but did say they could stay in a room at the church. James also wanted to work on college campuses and the pastor was asking him to work on the same four college campuses where he already had meetings. I asked, “What’s the problem? Do it!” I could see James as an excellent youth pastor for the church and I thought the pastor was a very reasonable man. I don’t know him well but he seems to be a first-class pastor. James is over to see me for an hour almost every night.

The first problem was money. John was very supportive of James wanting to have his own ministry but strongly advised him to do it through the church where there would be accountability. The pastor was agreeable and they set up an account for James in the church. The Lord gave him $850 the first month – which is quite a lot of money. But then James said the pastor was using his money for church things. We checked on that and the pastor had a good explanation in that he had spent it on things for James. He also promised to keep his hands off James’ money. There is a lot I don’t understand but it suspect most of it is misunderstanding between the pastor and James.

The second hurdle was more difficult. James came to see me saying that the pastor wanted him to cancel all the meetings he has going in four universities and start new ones. Why? He said the explanation was that the present meetings were not church oriented. None of the young people going to James’ meeting go to that church. The pastor doesn’t want any meetings where the students are going to another church. That was a little depressing.

I can understand the pastors thinking, but he is dead wrong. I don’t know so much about Thai but that certainly is 100% Japanese thinking. It is because of that self-oriented, vacuum cleaner, attitude that the church in Japan – and probably Thailand – is so weak. But most pastors are very strongly that way. James was in agony.

An hour later I was genuinely surprised at the counsel I gave him. Basically what I advised him was to bow the knee. Not because the pastor is right and James is wrong, but for the sake of Christian character development. I told James this was the most important thing at this stage of the game. I can see James as being a very effective mission leader, but the first step to leading is to learn to be a good follower. I told him he could step out on his own and refuse the discipline of the pastor. The Lord might bless him in doing so, and he might have a successful ministry, but he would get seriously short-changed in what he might have learned through suffering. It is like death for him to consider closings the meetings he has had going for over a year. It is like death for him to be restricted to staying at the church and doing odd jobs when he would rather be out witnessing for Christ. He still feels there have been some shortages in money. I said, “Hang it! Take the short end of the stick!” I know it is not right but it is good to suffer.

Maybe it is because I am older now, and it is easier to be deprived, but I see suffering as one of the most valuable experience the Lord deals out to us. Jesus was made perfect through suffering and we seriously short-change ourselves if we try to exempt ourselves from the thing that was so necessary for Jesus (Heb 2:10). [Of course Jesus was perfect, but His character had to be developed just liked His body and mind had to develop.]

As I was talking to James, I thought of the frustration of Jesus through His years of silence. It was strongly in His heart to serve His Father when He was 12 years old (Lk. 2:42, 49, 51). What must have been burning in His heart when He was 18, when He was 20, when He was 25, and when He was 29? He must have had a great desire to be about His Fathers business, but He quietly stayed in the carpenter’s shop making shavings. During that same period, He watched His cousin, John, launch out and became a huge national icon as a major prophet. They were virtually the same age, but John must have preceded Him in the ministry by ten years. That certainly was one type of suffering.

The story of David is recorded in 1^st Samuel and 2^nd Samuel. 1^st Samuel is the story of David up until he became king and 2^nd Samuel is his life after he was king. Of the two, my favorite book is hands down 1^st Samuel. Without a question David’s greatest moments were when he was living in a cave running from Saul. After he was king, life was certainly better, but he made some grievous mistakes that are so bad I dread to read them. The years of suffering were the best years of David’s life.

Joseph is perhaps the most perfect type of Christ in the Bible. He was marvelous as the Prime Minister of Egypt. But it took twenty years of suffering to develope that splendid character. It is wonderful to read about his life when he was in charge of Egypt, but that character was developed when he was a servant in Potiphar’s house and in prison. He never would have been the man of God that he was had he not gone through the furnace of suffering.

I gave James the illustration of two women. For instance; both were committed Christians and highly gifted in serving the Lord. Both had difficult husbands who were restrictive on their ministries. One woman was quietly submissive and accepted her husband’s limitations. The other was defiant. She said, “Hang you Jack! You’re not going to tell me what to do. I’m going to serve Jesus and if you don’t like it you can stuff it!” I asked James, “Which one is the most honoring to the Lord?” Of course the first one. I told James there are a lot of women out there that are just like the second woman. They may have a productive ministry, but they have a hard, nasty, defiant, spirit. They are loud-mouth, boisterous, self-willed; and they are a disgrace to the Name of Christ. Having a successful ministry is not the main thing. Having the right, Christ-like, spirit is the thing that is precious to God. 

As I approach my more senior years, I see Christ-like character as an extremely valuable commodity. I believe character is far more important than a predictive ministry. I have seen enough of life to know that many ministries have some of the most lamentable leaders at the top. God will certainly use them, but in heaven I fear they will be standing at the rear of the line.

In talking with Mark about James’ problem, he strongly disagreed with me. He said, “If the pastor is that kind of a man, who thinks only of his own advantage, it s wrong for James to submit himself to him. He said, if James already has well attended Bible classes going in four universities he should tell the pastor, “Gomen nasai (I’m sorry) but I am not going to cancel them just because they don’t come to your church and I am not going to devote myself to promoting your ministry. I am here to serve Jesus.”

I know exactly what Mark is talking about. Thirty years ago I would have said the same thing. But the problem is that Mark doesn’t’ see the character issue as clearly as it do. It is very American to be independent. And it is more typical of younger men to say, “If I can’t have it my way I’m not gong to do it.” (Mark is nearly 30 years younger than me.)

I believe the day will come when James will be a mission leader. I believe he will be a very good one. But if suffering was necessary to produce the marvelous character in Joseph and David; and the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering; I believe it is highly doubtful that we will be like Him if we prefer to exempt ourselves from the very thing that was so needful for Joseph, David and Jesus.

Just a few thoughts. What do you think Phyllis?

                                                                                 bill