Quick update

We have been preparing for my trip to the Philippines on September 4 to finish my study. Working out the things we need to do before I leave.  Talking with Pastor Shin Maung about my extended absence (3-5 months), he volunteered to drive the nine children to and from the school. We do not know how it will work out, but we are glad enough that the church will help us all the way.

We had not thought, however, that Narlin would go home earlier than I do. Her father died last August 3. We thought she would not be able to get out of the country to mourn with her family and friends back home because our visa is still being processed at the immigration and will not be finished until August 19. The Foundation advised us that we could not go out of the country until after that date. Narlin was devastated.  We strongly felt that she should be home. We called the Foundation and asked what could be done so that she could go home. We found out that she could go provided she will return before the 19th, the day we need to go to the immigration office. She went to the Philippines last Thursday and will be back on the 17th.

Tatay was brought to his final resting place in Dagupan early today (August 7). He will be best remembered for the good things he had done for the Kingdom. He was a Bible teacher, evangelist and preacher. Many people came to believe in Jesus through his ministry. Incidentally, today is also Nanay Linda’s (Narlin’s mother) birthday. Family and friends have a double celebration, as we know by faith that Tatay is probably now enjoying his face to face moments with Jesus.

Once again, we thank everyone who readily helped. Our church (Mae Sai Grace Church) extended their comfort and assistance. We also thank our fellow Filipino missionaries in Mae Sai and Chiang Rai for being there physically praying for us. We want also to thank our friends back home and on the Internet, thank you for words of comfort and encouragement.

When Narlin return in a week we will go to Chiang Mai for our visa to the Consular Service extended to Chiang Mai by the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok. We will be spending a lot of  time preparing for my departure. We need to check and pack our children’s PACEs among other things. My ministries will resume when I return from the Philippines but Narlin’s works will continue and it will be doubly difficult for her in my absence. Pray for her.

Please continue to pray for us. We are assured of God’s provisions but He uses people like you to make it happen. And we can testify how God do this all the time. Everything that we have here is an answered to prayers. Every work that we do happens because of prayers. Thank you for being a channel of God’s blessings to us and consequently to the people we are ministering.

Pray for Nanay Linda (Narlin’s mother), Narlin and her siblings that they could feel God’s comfort and presence as they mourn Tatay’s death.

Continue to pray for our visa extension. It is not over until it’s over (on August 19). =) Praise the Lord for those who obey God’s urging to give for this particular need.  Without the visa, we can’t even be here.

On Women's Role in the Church

I found this excellent essay about the role of the women in the church here.  I posted it here because it is a very insightful article and hopefully should help us interpret the Bible in the right direction.

One of the most often used proof-texts is Paul’s statement (apparently) that women should keep silent in the church (I Cor 14:34). [I added the word “apparently” because I think there is reason to suggest that Paul is quoting these words from the Corinthian church’s letter to him (See 1 Cor 7:1) and refuting it in 14:36 with the words, “Has the word of God come to you (men) only?”] The word translated “only” is a masculine plural pronoun in the Greek text.

Whatever their source, these words from 1 Cor 14 settle the issue concerning women’s roles in the church for those of a fundamentalist mentality. It is to be a silent one. For those of this mind set, it is unnecessary to look at other texts to see if a different idea is expressed. In this case, we do not have far to look. All we have to do is go back to 1 Cor 11 to see Paul giving instructions as to how women should dress when they prayed or prophesied. To pray and prophesy and keep silent all at the same time is a pretty good trick. Further, I have often wondered if those who take this position ever consider how many Sunday schools would have to close down if the female teachers were removed! In order to maintain the position that women should keep silent in the church, they would have to make a distinction between Sunday school and church—a highly questionable distinction in my judgment.

I have observed through the years that those who use the proof-texting approach and take the texts literally are highly selective in what they take. A seminary classmate of mine related a story to me that vividly reflects this point. A female preacher was invited to preach at his church on a certain Sunday. After the service an elderly male approached her and very condescendingly said, “Sister Jones (not her real name), how do you handle the Scripture that says women should keep silent in the church?” Without batting an eye she replied, “The same way I handle the one that says ‘Greet the brethren with a holy kiss!’” End of conversation! And, just for the record, Paul wrote the command to greet one another with a holy kiss four times (Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:19, 2 Cor 13:12 and 1 Thess 5:26.), whereas the command for women to keep silent (whatever the source of those words) appears only once. The usual response is that the kiss of greeting was just a cultural matter in the first century. Precisely—and so was the command for women to keep silent in the church.

Another favorite passage used to subordinate women is the creation story and the argument that the male was created first, and only the male was made in the image of God. This depends upon which creation story one reads. It will hold up to some degree for the second creation account (Gen 2:4-23) but crumbles under the first (Gen 1:1-2:3). Genesis 1:27 reads “In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them” (emphasis mine).

I will mention just one other passage that is often cited as mandating the submission of women to their husbands, and hence a secondary role in both the home and the church. Ephesians 5:21-23, and particularly the words “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands as unto the Lord,” is often cited as a proof-text that wives are to be under the authority of their husbands. However, the preceding verse gives a very different picture. Verse 21 reads, “Be submissive to one another out of reverence to Christ.” (emphasis mine) Verse 22 is a part of the same sentence. For every Christian to be subject authoritatively to every other Christian would lead to chaos. The submission in this passage is submissiveness to the needs of every other Christian, and submission of wives to husbands is just a sub-category of the submission of all Christians to one another.
Based upon the same passage, the idea of male headship gets a lot of press in fundamentalist circles. However, Bilezikian1 and others have demonstrated that the word arche (“head”) has the basic meaning of “beginning” or “source” and probably does not have the connotation of authority in any of the passages in the New Testament in which it is used. Furthermore, in this passage Christ’s headship of the church is presented in terms of his giving himself for it, not his ruling over it with an iron hand.

A second way in which fundamentalists distort Scripture in regard to women is to ignore or twist to suit their ends evidence from church history as well as Scripture. With regard to the former, Ute Eisen has conclusively demonstrated that in the first three centuries of the Common Era women held every title in the church that men held.2 Her evidence comes primarily from inscriptions on tombstones, city walls, etc. (which, by the way, are notoriously difficult to change!) Then there is the tired old argument that Jesus chose twelve males as his disciples, and thus showed that he wanted to continue the patriarchal system. A Roman Catholic nun of my acquaintance was heard to say, “Jesus chose twelve men to be his disciples, and God Almighty does not make mistakes.” I agree to the truth of both propositions. However, let us press the argument a bit further. Jesus chose twelve Jewish males to be his disciples. If maleness be a qualification, then how does one escape the logic that being Jewish would be one as well? Furthermore, let us not be too hasty in concluding that Jesus had no female disciples. I realize fully that when we examine the biblical text we read more about the twelve male disciples than any others. However, there is one text which calls into question whether the twelve male disciples were the only ones Jesus had. In Luke 8:1-3, we find these words: “And it came about soon afterwards, that he began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others (emphasis mine) who were contributing to their support out of their private means” (NASB). A careful analysis of this passage clearly shows that Jesus had a number of female disciples who both went around with him and were financially supporting his ministry. Why is it that we hear so little about these disciples? The reason, simply put, is that the society out of which the scriptures came was thoroughly patriarchal. All the biblical writers were male, as far as we can tell. The fact that we get even one brief glimpse into the female disciples of Jesus makes a strong case for divine inspiration, in my judgment. This statement creates the necessity for me to deal in some measure with the issue of divine inspiration, which I take up below.

We Are Soldiers

Text: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

In the movie ‘We Were Soldiers’ Mel Gibson is the tough battle hardened US Army Captain. He has a mission to complete! However, before his men leave for Viet Nam he promises them and their families that he will be the first one to step on to enemy territory, and the last to step off it. He cannot promise that they will all return alive, but he promises that all 395 men will return, dead or alive. He has a mission, but most importantly he has man to look after with.

In  2 Timothy, Paul told Timothy that Christians are soldiers of Christ and that we should "endure hardship'  us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Paul himself lived his life like a soldier. And we should follow his example.

A Dedicated Soldier

There was a time when Paul hated Christ and the Cross. He fought against Christianity with zeal. But one day on the Damascus road, Christ saved him and changed his life, and from that day on he became the greatest and most effective soldier Jesus ever had.

When Paul became a Christian, he gave his all to the Savior. He believed that he was dead to the old life and he was living only for Christ. He said that a solder should not entangle himself in the affairs of the world. For if a soldier tied himself to the world he could not his best as a soldier and he could not please his master.

We need to learn this truth this morning. Many of us are entrapped by the things of the world. And for that reason we become powerless and we could not do anything for God. For many of us, when the Pastor ask us to do something for the Lord and be faithful to the church, we made excuses and tell him that we are very busy. We should not be too busy to do things for God. When we are too busy to do something for God, then we are busier that God wants us to be.

Paul also said that a soldier of the Cross must learn to endure hardness. He was certainly a worthy example of this great truth. Have we ever suffered anything for Christ? Have we ever made a sacrifice for Him? Paul did this and calls on us to do the same thing (Romans 12:1).

A Victorious Soldier

“I have fought a good fight,” Paul says. He looks upon life as a battle to be fought, a victory to be won. He said on one occasion that he was not fighting flesh and blood, but the evil hosts of Satan.
Paul had to fight urge of his sinful nature. Writing to the Romans, Paul had said in effect, “I have been saved, but the old sinful nature is still present. I want to be absolutely free of sin, but I am having a desperate fight. There are two natures in me. The flesh and the spirit are both there, and they are always fighting, the one against the other.”

We are just like that. We are fighting a battle against sins and temptations. Temptations surround us. We are surrounded by the enemies. They are on the right of us, the left of us, in front of us, and behind us. We often give in and let the Devil defeat us.

Paul also had to fight the enemies of the Gospel. They knew how faithful he was to Christ, so they tried in every way to hinder him and to block his testimony for the Lord. These enemies are still alive today.

When we Christians set out to make our lives count for Christ, these enemies get busy and try to ruin our testimony (don’t give so much time to the Church; it won’t hurt you to miss prayer meeting; there’s no harm in this, etc.). Let me ask you a question: Have you ever seen anyone who has great influence for God who did not put Christ and His church first, always? No, and you never will!

Paul goes on to say, “I have finished the race.” He looks upon life as a race track: “This is the course that God has picked out for me, and now I have finished my course.” God has a course for you to run, also, and you ought to say, “Lord, what do You want me to do, I’ll go where you want me to go, if You will only go with me.” We do not always choose our course. I did not choose the ministry; God chose me.

An Awarded Soldier

One day they led Paul out to the place of death. He saw the block where his head would lie. He saw the executioner waiting to do his duty. He saw the axe shining in the sun.

But he looked beyond all of this and he saw Jesus waiting for him with something in His hand. What was it? Listen; “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness..”

Forgotten now are all the hardships endured for Christ. Forgotten are the stripes, forgotten are the days and nights in prison, forgotten are the shipwrecks, forgotten are the abuses, forgotten are all the tears that he shed and all the blood that he poured out. This makes up for it all. Christ is waiting to welcome him. The crown is waiting for him. Heaven is waiting for the old soldier.

Are you having a hard time, my friend. Is your body afflicted? Have your friends forsaken you? Do you face many difficulties? Do you have financial worries? Then just keep on. Trust the Lord; do the best you can. He will see you through and bring you home at last.

Conclusion

The Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labour on a jungle railroad, had degenerated to barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else.When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot. It was obvious the officer meant what he had said.

Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the bloody corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first check point. The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others!

We are soldiers. Are you willing to sacrifice for Christ and for his church?

A little update

We echo once again the prayer of Paul for the Philippians expressing our gratitude for your untiring partnership.

In all our prayers for all of you, we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

As of the moment, our mini-orphanage ministry is being sustained because of your prayers.

One morning, as we watched happy children happy and excited preparing for the first day of school, we could not help but thank God for his faithfulness in looking after His children and for connecting us to you as our ministry partner.

Who would have thought that two months ago we almost gave up in getting them to school? One reason is that the Thai schools are giving priority to Thais but because our children are from the Myanmar, they were initially rejected.  Another reason is that our support for their education is very limited nonetheless; we experienced how God provided.

God is answering you prayers for us and we can feel it every moment. Thank you very much.

Children’s Camp in Kok Noi

When we were invited to organize a Children’s camp in Kok Noi, we gladly accepted the challenge. Anyway, we already organized two camps in Mae Sai and Tachilek. This one would be easy thinking that the lessons and the materials were already prepared.

However, we were in for a big surprise. We did not know that Kok Noi although located in Chiang Rai is in the middle of the jungle 45 kilometers from the city with no electricity (although solar panels have been provided by the government) and can only be reached by foot or by a four-wheel drive truck.

God provided a way for us to get there. A Good Samaritan we met along the way gave us a ride on our way to the village. And then a 4-wheel drive truck owned by Compassion International brought us back to the city.

It was a wonderful camp with the children learned English and listened to Bible Stories. Some children from the neighboring village walked for couple of hours and joined the camp.
During our ministry there, God gave us a vision of planting churches in the nearby animist villages. We also see the need to provide home for the children from Myanmar who were given shelter by the villagers to study in the village school.


Seminary Education by Extension (SEE) at Grace Home Kindergarten Center

After Jimi taught music through SEE, the students could not wait for another class. When the Lacquian Family left for home, the burden of continuous theological/biblical education for church leaders falls on my battered shoulders.

When the school opened two weeks ago, we did not anticipate how busy it would be for us bringing and picking up the children from and to the school.  As parents, we need to attend school meetings, talk to the teachers and bury materials and uniform the children need. Hence, we really don’t have the time to offer another SEE class.

Fortunately, another team from Asia Vision Short-Term Missions came and helped us out. My sister Dadai, came back with two short-term missionaries. Longtree Limtag taught “The Panoramic View of the Bible” and Enjae helped in teaching the children Grace Home Kindergarten Center  (GHKC). Incidentally, GHKC hosted SEE for five days. We are thankful to Aye Phet for being a gracious host.
GHKC will host SEE classes in the future.

Narlin Volunteers in Municipal School

Since Aye Phet has been doing a great job at GHKC, Narlin does not need to be around in the center all the time. She now has free time to do other ministries.

Narlin is teaching English at Rong Rian Tesaban 1 every Tuesday and Thursday for two hours each day. This is the same school that our 7 children are studying.

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to be a witness and a blessing to the community.

Prayer Requests

Our visa extension is now being processed at the Rainbow Covenant Foundation. We will receive a phone call anytime now to come to the immigration office. Up to this time, we don’t have specific entity that helps us with our visa expenses. However, God’s provision is always on time.

God has given us the ministry of discipleship and mentoring. We will leave Mae Sai with peace knowing that we were able to train and disciple people to continue the work of the gospel ministry.
Pray for the SEE students. We are making seminary training available to church leaders and workers while they are doing their respective ministries. Please continue to help us to pray for SEE office and training center near the border.

Pray for Narlin as she volunteers to teach in a Thai school. We are expecting to organize more English camps before this year will end.

Pray Jared, Jillian and Reuven’s home schooling. We thank the Lord for School of Tomorrow for making our life easy with our children’s education. But we still have a lot of struggles.

In the last couple of months, God has brought us to different places namely Ban Klang, Mae Salong and a village 14 km from the City of Chiang Rai. God is challenging us to expand our vision.  He is summoning us to get involved in children ministries, church planting and discipleship to the hard reached villages. We will train and mentor locals in starting and sustaining these ministries. This can be done on a regular basis at least twice a month.

Help us to pray for resources. Teaching materials, equipment and a vehicle. Pray also for knowledge, wisdom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Diversity in the Church

I am having similar thoughts lately.

Philip Yancey put it this way in an article in Christianity Today just this last November. He writes, "As I read accounts of the New Testament church, no characteristic stands out more sharply than [diversity]. Beginning with Pentecost, the Christian church dismantled the barriers of gender, race, and social class that had marked Jewish congregations. Paul, who as a rabbi had given thanks daily that he was not born a woman, slave, or Gentile, marveled over the radical change: ’There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

"One modern Indian pastor told me, ’Most of what happens in Christian churches, including even miracles, can be duplicated in Hindu and Muslim congregations. But in my area only Christians strive, however ineptly, to mix men and women of different castes, races, and social groups. That’s the real miracle.
Yancey continues, "Diversity complicates rather than simplifies life. Perhaps for this reason we tend to surround ourselves with people of similar age, economic class, and opinion. Church offers a place where infants and grandparents, unemployed and executives, immigrants and blue bloods can come together. Just yesterday," Yancey wrote, "I sat sandwiched between an elderly man hooked up to a tank puffing oxygen and a breastfeeding baby who grunted loudly and contentedly throughout the sermon. Where else can we find that mixture?

"When I walk into a new church," Yancey says, "the more its members resemble each other—-and resemble me-—the more uncomfortable I feel."

Source: Philip Yancey, "Denominational Diagnostics," Christianity Today, November 2008, p. 119.

Complete Commitment

Text: 1 Timothy 4:1-11

A college man walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: “My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.” It was signed "Helen,” and it contained a P.S.: “If we ever break up, I want this picture back.”

It means that Helen is obviously not completely committed to the relationship.

In this letter to Timothy, Paul mentions about the different teachings that would bring confusions among the believers. In the midst of the confusion created by this spread of false teachings, we must not forget that Christ calls us to a life of commitment. Commitment is to be the mark of our lives. But committed to what? That is the question Paul answered in our text.

I. COMMITTED TO CHRIST (Verse 6)

First, we are to be committed to Jesus Christ. Paul warned Timothy of a time of falling away from the faith and of discouragement for the church. When that happens, this is what Paul suggested in verse 6. Our commitment must go first, not to a certain church or to a certain program or to a certain style of music or to a certain preacher, but our commitment is first of all to Christ. He is to be Lord over our lives.

There's an old story about St Augustine. Early on in his Christian life, he was intensely absorbed in the writings of Cicero. And around this time, he had a dream that he had died. And now he was standing at the pearly gates. And the keeper of the gate said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I'm Augustine." Then the keeper said, "What are you?" Augustine said, "I'm a Christian." The gatekeeper said, "No, you're not a Christian. You're a Ciceronian!" Augustine said, "What are you talking about? I'm a Christian!" And the gatekeeper said this: "All souls on earth are judged by what dominated their interests. In you, Augustine, it was not the Christ of the gospel. It was the Cicero of Roman literature. You are not a Christian. You cannot enter here!"

Augustine was so startled that when he woke up, he resolved then and there to be fully committed to Jesus Christ for the rest of his life and to live for Him.

When we become a Christian, we are no longer our own. We belong body and soul to Jesus Christ. We are completely committed to Christ.

II. COMMITTED TO A CONSECRATED WAY OF LIFE (Verse 7)

This commitment to the person of Christ will lead then to a commitment to a consecrated living. Paul urged Timothy in verse 7. A Christian is committed not only to Christ but also to the way of living Christ laid out for us. That way is one of holiness, purity, and godliness.

The world in which we live in is committed to pleasure and self. Consequently, the life-style of the world is that of immorality and selfishness. That way of living is totally opposite to the life-style commanded by Jesus. On one hand is the world's way. On the other is the way of Jesus Christ. A Christian is committed to the way of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman once gave this rule of thumb for determining our way of living. He said: “Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work more difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.”

So must every true Christian. We cannot call ourselves by Christian and still be free to do our own thing. When we call ourselves by his name, we are committing ourselves to do his thing.

III. COMMITTED TO THE CHURCH (Verses 6, 13)

We are also to be committed to the church of Jesus Christ (vv. 6, 13). Translated into today's terms, Paul said that a Christian is one who spends time with other believers in the study of God's Word in the church.

One of the first and foremost acts of obedience that you and I should perform as Christ-followers is to become a part of a local church body.
As believers, we need to pray together, learn together, serve together, give together, grow together, cry together, repent together, worship together, and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ together!

Man was never intended to hold onto God alone! The church is to be the believer's life-support system, from which strength comes for the living of these days.

IV. COMMITTED TO THE COMMISSION OF CHRIST (Verses 10-11)

A Christian is also to be committed to the great commission. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Verses 10-11 express the same idea in other words and different context. As Christians we should be committed to preaching the gospel, making disciples and teaching Christ's command to the people who will come under our sphere of influence. We should maintain this commitment throughout our life.

Those who drive a car or a motorcycle know the importance of maintenance. As long as we faithfully maintain our vehicle with regular change oil and check up it will last longer if not forever. It is the same with our house, maintaining our house properly involves painting, cleaning, repair of plumbing and electrical, replacing the leaking roof. If we do not do these things then our house will soon broke down and it will not be a good place to live in.

As Christians, we are commanded by Christ to maintain our commitment as his disciple and to maintain our discipleship ministry. Discipleship follows after we accept Christ and this is not a one-time event of being saved. We need to maintain our Spiritual vigor so that we can go on sharing the gospel, making disciple and teaching the Word of Christ. We should have a total commitment to the great commission.

That is a portrait of a Christian. We commit ourselves to Christ. Then, we commit ourselves to a consecrated way of living.

And then we should commit ourselves to the local church in this world to extend his kingdom.

Finally, we commit ourselves to the commission he himself established for making disciples of all nations.