God se hart vir mense is onbeskryflik

Ek en Philip gesels oor sy trip Bangkok toe om as gasspreker op te tree by 'n geleentheid waartydens die Moken se storie gekies as een van die media finaliste van die jaar - julle sal onthou dat daar 'n artikel verskyn het in 'n nasionale Thai tydskrif asook op nasionale TV.

Julle kan die artikel aflaai by dievolgende Dropbox verwysing: 

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67012573/Thai%20Peoples%20Magazine%20-%20Moken%20%26%20Free%20Man.pdf .

En die TV program by http://www.tvburabha.com/tvb2010/index.php/magazine-cartoon-book/2012-08-16-18-02-27 - kliek 88 om die video te sien.

Eers wou hy nie gaan nie want dit neem baie van sy tyd in beslag en is regtig nie deel van sy fokus nie. Maar is hy bly hy het op die ou einde wel gegaan - daar het soveel goeie dinge gebeur en die Here het regtig vir hom en die Moken kinders kom onderneem hierdeur.  En al het hy dit baie geniet was hy meer gretig om sy hart met ons te deel oor wat die Here se openbaring aan hom was tydens die onderhoude, want in werklikheid het hy ervaar hoe die Here hom gebruik om Sy denke en wysheid te spreek en nie sy se eie nie.

"Hoe meer ons God se doen en late probeer vasvang en in reels/regulasies om te skep, hoe meet glip Hy weg.  Uiteindelik vaal ons in ons vermoe om te glo dat Jesus Christus dit IN en DEUR ons doen. Ons kan probeer maar ons kan nie die werking van die Heilige Gees formuleer of rangskik nie, ons is te sondig. Ons is die probleem en dus moet ons oorhandig. Ons moet beheer oorgee.

Wanneer 'ons dit regkry' is dit omdat Christus deur ons Sy werk kon doen. Geloof groei wanneer dit getoets word  en die toets-geleenthede gaan nie ophou solank ons lewe nie. Dinge is swaar wanneer ons faal om Christus deur ons te laat gestalte gee. Christus sal die probleem oplos as Hy wil.  Hy is ons nederigheid, ons geloof, ons onvergifnis en ons vrede. Hy is onbeskryflik lief vir die ongeredde mense, en dis slegs SY liefde binne ons wat ons in staat stel om 'n lewende offer te word."

Dit het my laat dink aan 'n insident nie lank gelede nie, toe 'n vriend 'n groot klip in 'n tonnel probeer skuif omdat die water net in stroompies om die klip kon vloei. Net soos hy is ons meermale in die pad van die Lewende Water wat om ons moet vloei ten einde die Koning se wil te laat plaasvind. Net soos hy moet ons ook "let go and let God" want dit vra van ons om ons agendas neer te le en opnuut op Hom te vertrou en te glo dat Hy dit deur ons sal doen.

Is Extraction Evangelism Still The Way To Go?

Taking a Stand for Christ

 Who does it benefit?

Vasanthraj Albert, director of India Church Growth Research Association, wrote, "Recently I read an article written by a full- time worker who has been in the ministry for the last two decades. He is an example of the violent extraction in the name of conversion. He says that he severed his relationship with the natural family at the time of his conversion due to the wrong counsel of the Christian workers. At the time of his conversion he adopted a spiritual family. Soon he found that the spiritual family did not have the capacity to give him the love and care he needed."

Today in India the norm is extraction out of the family and into the church. To see a viable church established in all unreached people groups, we need to see conversions taking place that benefit the new believer's community. A person must not be treated as merely an individual, but primarily as a member of an organic social unit, a family, a community.

David Garrison, the Southern Baptist missiologist, in teaching his course on Non-Residential Missionaries, stresses an essential key to an NRM's success. That is, the NRM should always ask the question, "What is the best thing for the people group?" in every decision being made. No doubt, it is a good thing to see individuals from unreached peoples come to obedient faith in Jesus Christ. BUT when they come we need to ask, "What is the best thing for the people group from which this individual comes?" If we seriously ask this question, it will mean changing the way we see obedient faith in Jesus Christ for that individual. It will mean waiting for a bigger and more solid harvest within a people, rather than a quick convert extracted from his people and thus of little use to his people or to God in extending His Gospel.

Throughout history we see God blessing western mission methods. These methods predominately result in individuals leaving their segment of society and uniting with converts from other segments of society. These conglomerations of individuals make up our churches, becoming unique "Christian communities" in their own right.

 

Recently an Indian Bible translator from Tamil Nadu, shared about his survey work for the language he had been assigned to translate. His target group is located in the northern state of Haryana where there are .08% Christians. The major language of the people living there is Haryanavi, which is spoken by well over 10 million people. While surveying for previous translations, this Bible translator discovered a small town in the state of Haryana that was completely Christian. Interestingly the town was made up of converts whom the missionaries had won over from different cultures, castes, and fringe peoples of Haryana.

Today this town is known as a Christian community, but the people of this community can relate in no way to the people of Haryana. In fact they have become a distinct people with a culture appearing odd, having no roots, thus no connection to the peoples around them. Even though there is a light within this dark state, it cannot shine further than it's own boundaries. The light must be carried outside of the circle and into the unreached community. The light must be left there to expand throughout all the people of that community.

Jesus said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5:19) Even after begging to go with Jesus, the healed demon-possessed man from Decapolis was told NO!--Don't come with me, GO TO YOUR FAMILY.

What benefit would this Decapolis man be to Jesus? Was it not his family and community who would realize the mercy that Jesus had bestowed upon a member of their group? Was Jesus calling out this new believer to do "second front" witnessing among his Gentile people?

Jesus knew there was now a light in the healed demon-possessed man, but the light would not shine any brighter into the Decapolis communities if he called this new believer to join Him and His disciples. Instead, Jesus sent the light to penetrate the peoples of Decapolis.

It Happens in the USA

A clear-eyed look at most American evangelism reveals the same extraction method at work. Brian Aycock writes in VOX "Statistics show that most Christians, within two years of their conversion, no longer have any non-Christian friends. They leave the past behind and are inducted into a Christian society that surrounds them like a bubble and separates them from the rest of the world." Perhaps we need to learn to make disciples (instead of converts), teaching them over time to obey all that He has commanded us. Perhaps we need to believe in the Power of the Gospel to leaven and lighten the darkest families and cultures.

After all, faith works by love not by hook or crook.

http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/taking-a-stand-for-christ    September 01, 1997 by Frank L. Roy

Taking children away and breaking families apart in the name of 'betterment-Christianity' is extraction evangelism.  The long term effects of an orphan-damaged soul that has experienced rejection, is much harder to heal in the long run than poverty.  No amount of schooling and religion can substitute the vacuum of parents -even if they are poor, uneducated and broken unsaved themselves ....  

Sien jou voorentoe broer

En so wrintie waar, ons Taaiboer is alreeds terug in Thailand, die skool begin alweer die 16de Mei vir hom en die kinders, en hy se dit voel asof hy nooit eens weg was van die eiland af nie!

In sending word daar onderskei tussen die plan en die doel van die omvattende sending proses. Flip se besoek aan familie, vriende en vennote asook die kerk, maak alles deel uit van die doel (purpose). Flip het juis vir ons kom getuig van die Here se kragtige werkende hand onder die Moken mense asook in die gelowiges se lewens in Thailand - dit dan deel van die plan.

Vanaf Gen 1:28 is die plan nog altyd gewees na die uithoeke van die aarde toe te gaan, maar hoekom dan? Waarom stuur God dan sy kinders op sending? Nie dat almal moet sendelinge wees nie, maar dat ons almal deel het aan die sending-bevel en aksie, is deel van die hele verbond tussen Hom en ons. Sending is vir die 'ongereddes' (plan) asook die 'gereddes' (doel).

Maar hoekom dan vir die 'gereddes'? Wat verwag God dan van jan-rap-en-sy-maat by die huis? Gebed en finansies? Verseker!  Maar is dit regtig al......? Wat nog? Om op 'n uitreik te gaan? Verseker! Is daar nog? Ja......... maar hoekom?  Want die Bybel se so (nie ons nie).  Wat wil Hy dan nog meer van ons he?
Nou maar ja, dit is nou hoe mens by die doel van sending uitkom - deur die regte vrae te vra.

Kom kuier saam met Flip - Saterdag 6 April

Saam kuier op die van der Merwe familie plaas met ons Taaiboer

Heerlike herfs-oggend saam met goeie vriende, bekende ondersteuners asook 'n paar ander mede-resigenote op die sending pad

Nardus Olie

Dan het Flip hierdie vertel van Nardus oilie (spikenard oil)

Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  John 12:13

In die ou dae was die nardus olie bitter duur en dig geseel in klein glas of klei houers. Die potjie moes gebreek geword het om weer by die olie uit te kom.

Met wedergeboorte is die Heilige Gees binne jou - die Lewende God Homself.

Daar is nie 'n ander manier om die salwing wat deur die Heilige Gees voortgebring word, uit jou te laat vloei nie as om te ...... breek....

Om te breek en seer te kry is 'n aanhoudende proses wat nooit ophou tot ons laaste dag op aarde nie, maar as die saad nie grond toe val en doodgaan nie, kan dit nooit lewe nie......

En tussen dit alles deur maak Hy ons bewus dat Hy ons nooit sal verlaat nie maar sal ons help deur dit alles..... 

Ons Taaiboer kom SA toe!

Soos die Here wil, kom Flip weer SA toe vir 'n bietjie rus en ontspanning, asook om 'n paar afsprake na te kom, en om bekendes en mede reis-genote te kom groet!

Kom kuier gerus saam met ons op Saterdag 6 April in Bronkhorstspruit, wanneer ons 'n potjie gaan hou en lekker ontspan!

Ons stuur detail uit nader aan die dag.

Re-entry .....

Bronkhorstspruit het 'n kop bygekry sedert Flip laasjaar op hierdie afdraai gery het wat mens na die Baai toe neem...