A New Adventure

Undisclosed location, South Asia

July 8, 2010

Isaiah 61:11 “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and the garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”

I left Houston on Monday and headed to South Asia to experience another one of God’s great adventures. I am leading a team of students from Kingsland Baptist Church, along with other 8 or so adults. Whenever I fly, I always imagine God taking the tiny airplane between His gigantic fingers and carrying it through the air to my destination, and then gently placing it on the ground. It is the same prayer I always pray before any flight, no matter how long and far. So as our plane lifted off, I prayed “Lord, take this plane and carry it with your strong hands and gently place it down when we arrive at our destination.”

After I prayed my prayer and we lifted off, I felt a strong sense of peace. God reminded me of His faithfulness and I rejoiced over the small things, such as room for my feet and good company. This entire journey has been clothed in prayer, not just in the last days of preparation, but in months of yearning to see the faces of the innocent saved.

As I reached for my Bible, it opened to Isaiah 61. This chapter is so relevant to our cause and to what we are hoping to accomplish by going to Asia. If I had room, I would go line by line though Isaiah 61, but, the last part of the chapter caught my attention.

“I delight greatly in the Lord; for my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and like a bride adorns herself with jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” Isaiah 61:10

Getting to know these young men and women has been a joy to me. After traveling 3 days without much sleep, weariness sets in, however, on the Wednesday morning after arriving at our place of stay, they all geared back up to walk to Mother Teresa’s house to receive our assignments for the next week. We’ve had to make many changes and adjustments, but we are all ready to be used to impact God’s kingdom. As we walk the filthy streets of this city, serve at Mother Teresa’s and minister in our aftercare home, pray that their salvation would beam like royal jewels, and that as a garden causes a seed to grow, the beauty of your Majesty would shine through them to make sprouts of praise spring up from Asia.’

Who Will Tell Them?

There is a question burning in my heart, and I can not seem to shake it, nor do I think I want to. Who will tell them about Jesus? Who will tell them about His loving kindness, His restoration, His grace and mercy? Who will give them that abundant life and freedom?

As this question simmers in my heart, I have also been pondering a wonderful story about a young English boy who was taken captive from vicious, Irish invaders. They took him back to Ireland, where he was their slave for six years. One day he heard a voice telling him that his ship was ready to take him home. He traveled two hundred miles and found that ship. The sailors welcomed him and when it landed they walked for days without food. The sailors wanted him to pray for food, but instead, he insisted that the sailors themselves pray to the one true God. They did, and then they happened on a monastery. From there, the young man studied, and eventually returned home to his family. Once again, he had a vision that told him to return back to Ireland. His family pleaded with him not to go, for as a runaway slave, he was sure to receive death. But, he obeyed. He took the Gospel to Ireland, and as a result he baptized over 100,000 Irishmen, trained 3,000 preachers and started 700 churches. Arguably, the greatest fruit from this young man’s life was the spread of the Gospel, but Ireland was also the first country to abolish slavery. If you haven’t guessed who this man is yet, it is St. Patrick, whom we celebrate every March.

There is another modern day slavery occurring right under our noses. In fact, never has there been a time in history where so many innocent victims have been held captive. I have to wonder, when will their ships come in as St. Patrick’s did? I believe in faith that they will. There are many on the front lines today working relentlessly to free these victims. They need our prayers, encouragement, and resources. But their rescues should not be our only aim. If we stop there, we are falling short of God’s plan for these women. They need to feel the loving arms of their Creator. They need the restoration that only Christ can provide. They need to live in freedom from the strongholds that entangle them. Who will tell them about such a Savior?

No one knows the mind of Christ, but perhaps God is planning on eliminating the injustice of slavery by restoring these victims, then calling them back to those who sold them in the first place? What if God wants them to be St. Patrick’s? What if God wants to use them to speak out against their captives? Sure, it is a dangerous thought, and a dangerous assignment for such vulnerable girls. But, St. Patrick knew the cost when He was willing to go back to Ireland.

So, the question remains, who will go? Who will tell them about Jesus and perhaps be an instrument that wipes modern-day slavery off the face of the earth? Who is willing to further the glory of God by bringing the truth to these vulnerable and broken souls? This question continues to burn a hole in my heart.

Victims of Oppression

Come Lord Jesus. Rescue the oppressed. My heart is heavy within me today as I read my Mission Pastor’s blog, gobeyondblog.com. Pastor Omar Garcia, his son, and a team of ladies from Kingsland Baptist Church are in India today. One of their visits was to a safe house where our church is helping to restore girls who have been rescued from the sex trafficking industry. Most American’s are oblivious to the horror of this industry, as was I, until my eyes were recently opened, and I heard the heart wrenching stories. Here are a few statistics regarding the sex trafficking industry.

•    Human trafficking is the world’s third largest criminal enterprise, after drugs and weapons. (U.S. Department of State)

•    Worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade. (UNICEF)

•    There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 children, women and men trafficked across international borders annually. (U.S. Department of State)

•    Approximately 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. (U.S. Department of State)

•    The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion. (U.N.)

•    Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic. (U.S. Department of State)

Americans contribute to this problem by visiting pornographic websites and partaking in prostitution, totally clueless as to where these girls are coming from. Some of these girls are sold into slavery by their parents or a family member, and many are duped into thinking that they are taking a foreign job as a nanny, waitress, or dancer. These girls can be as young as 7, and in some places, the younger they are, the higher price their captors charge. They are often locked in dark rooms and told to service and unbelievable number of men a day. They have no access to health care, are beaten, and are often made to have many abortions.

Psalm 10:17 says, “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” Let us join the Lord in this work. Would you be willing to learn more about this horrific industry and the pain it causes its victims? Will you read about it and learn about international organizations that are actively participating in ending this evil? Would you pray for restoration of these girls’ lives and hearts? Will you pray for justice? Are you willing to give financial support to those whose lives have been ripped apart by a living hell? I urge you to consider how you can get involved, and use the blessings in your life to minister to these victims.

Americans Bless Haiti

I recently began a class on missions called Perspectives. The first thing we studied was Genesis 12:2-3 where God promises Abraham to make him into a great nation. He not only promised to bless him and his family, he promised to bless all peoples of the earth through him and his descendants. This has been lived out through history and in the present in all kinds of ways, and will eventually lead to all nations worshiping Christ. Being the seed of Abraham, we also are called to bless all peoples through the love of Christ. There are many examples of this throughout the scriptures, but one that stands out to me is Abraham’s great grandson, Joseph.

Joseph was thrown out of the family, sold into slavery, imprisoned, and had every  reason to throw his hands up and give up on life. But, he stayed true to his faith in God Almighty, and God lifted him up to be second in command of the great nation of Egypt. In Genesis chapter 41, Joseph dreams of a great famine and he prepares Egypt for it. Eventually the dream is fulfilled and many nations come to Egypt to buy food because they have none in their own countries. Here we see Joseph fulfilling, in part, God’s promise to bless all nations through Abraham’s descendants.

This is only one small example of other nations being blessed through God’s promise to Abraham. Today, as many mobilize to bless Haiti, I am reminded of this promise. America is not perfect, has many flaws, and not everyone in America is a Christian. However, because historically America has been a Christian nation, no one can deny that the hand of God has been present over our country. This is the land where freedom abounds, people choose how to use their gifts and talents, and God has used them to build a prosperous country. Many would argue that it is unfair to say that America is more blessed than other countries. In response, I would point to the promise in Genesis.

We have been blessed to bless the whole world. As I look at all the organizations that are collecting money and supplies for Haiti, as I compare governments, and as I see our health care and rescue workers giving up their time and leaving families, no one compares to America. I am proud of our country. I see regular American families dipping into their pockets to find a way to help. I have personally received several emails asking about ways to give and suggestions in reply.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, as of January 19th, approximately 275 million dollars has been donated to U.S. non profit groups for Haiti relief. That number includes regular people who have texted in donations and given online. It also includes American corporations, but does not include our own government’s giving. For a complete listing of everyone who has given to the Haitian relief effort, you can go to http://ocha.unog.ch/fts/reports/daily/ocha_R10_E15797_asof___1001201921.pdf.

As more relief efforts continue, the giving will too. America is truly rising to this intense call to bless those who can not help themselves. I pray that America will continue to be blessed to be a blessing. I pray God will heal the Haitians’ hearts and their land, and will restore them to a more solid foundation, that of Christ.

Good Intentions

The place between desire and action is called good intentions. Sadly I get stuck there and after many, somewhat legitimate, excuses, I think, “Well, God will understand. He knows the intentions of my heart.” Right? Just last night I had a hard lesson in obedience and good intentions. And, I found my answer.

I had been praying this last week for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. I had just helped our church with a spur of the moment mission opportunity. They were gathering coats and blankets for those that would be out in the cold during a 3 day freeze, which is quite unusual for our hometown of Houston. My kids and I saw an opportunity to help the homeless, and we jumped on board. We sent out emails, picked up bags of blankets and coats, bought supplies with our benevolence jar, and spent a few hours boxing and sorting. When it was all done, we felt satisfied that we had served God’s kingdom. As a family, we prayed for those who received the coats and I remember thinking how fun it would be for those who actually got to hand them out.

Then the very next night I had the opportunity. Driving the babysitter home after a much needed date night, we stopped at a stoplight, and there stood a woman on the corner, sign in hand, and nothing but a shawl on to keep her warm. At this point it was twenty-something degrees outside, the temperature was dropping, and she had no coat. How ironic that as a church, we had just given out over 500 coats, and this lady, the very next day, had none.

I wish I could tell you that I immediately rolled down my window, ushered her into my car, drove her to a warm place to stay for the night, and gave her the coat off my back. No, that is not at all how the story went. Instead, a series of questions, which were really just excuses, began racing through my head. Excuses like, well, we’re in the other lane and there is a car between us. And, I have a young babysitter with me, and I need to be responsible with her well being. And, I don’t have any cash, what would I give her? Where is a shelter in Katy, anyway? I would give her my coat, but I left it at home. And on I drove, right past this freezing woman on such a cold, windy, dark night.

After I dropped off the babysitter, I headed home with new resolve. “Okay, Lord. I’ll go back,” I said. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to, and I will trust you to protect me. I’ll take her to a warm hotel room if I have to.” Ideas of how to help began to form in my mind as I raced back towards her. But, like opportunities do, when I made it back, she was gone. I couldn’t believe it. She was no where to be seen, and I had left her to sleep somewhere on the cold ground in freezing weather.

I gravely drove home, went into my ridiculously large closet, took off my warm boots and my warm sweater, and my heart broke. I wept, my mind replaying the image of that woman standing on the corner with the wind chilling her to the bone, with nothing but a shawl clinging to her to keep her warm. I cried because I realized I had gotten stuck in that place between desire and obedience, the place of good intentions, and it cost someone dearly. I cried because I knew how much Jesus loves that woman and how it hurt His heart that she was out in the cold that very night. I cried because I realized that my satisfaction in fitting in a few hours of mission work into my schedule wasn’t at all what God was calling me to do. Sure, it was important that we give those coats and blankets away. But, loading and sorting through hundreds of blankets, scarves, gloves, coats and socks means nothing when you drive right past a woman standing in the freezing cold. He is about people, not plans and projects.

As this new year begins to unfold and God draws my heart closer to His, I have every intention of making my good intentions turn into action. As I pray for opportunities to share the love of Christ, I desire to obey with no reluctance and without always having it all figured out. Would you join me in moving past the place of good intentions and into obedience, in which we will all bear much fruit, and change the world for Christ?

The Hard Questions Part 2: Relationship

As we continue to look at the account of creation and the fall, we see that from the very beginning God loved blessing Adam. He didn’t create Adam quite like the other animals. He made Adam in his own image, and He made him to rule over all the rest of the creation. God placed Adam in a special luscious garden He had created, and He gave Adam the privilege of naming all of the animals and birds. The Lord saw that Adam needed a companion, and then blessed him with a beautiful wife, Eve. As we learn later in Genesis 3:8, God would often take a walk thru the garden, and so Adam and God had a face to face personal relationship, something that we can only long for.

When God placed Adam in the luscious garden, he did make one stipulation, and here is where many of us may begin to derail. God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden, except for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and if he disobeyed, he would surely die (Genesis 2:15-17). This tree held wisdom that was for God alone.  God knows what is best for us, but Adam and Eve wanted to take matters into their own hands. It wasn’t enough to be made in God’s image, they wanted to be like God. Now isn’t this just like our children? We give them and inch, and they take a mile. Only God had given Adam way more than an inch. He had given him the Kingdom.

The serpent then tempts Eve, and she falls for it. Adam goes along with Eve, and before they know it, what God said would happen, did. Their eyes were opened and they were ashamed. Notice that it was not the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge itself that would make them die, as if it were poisonous or magical, but instead, it was the awareness of how unholy and unrighteous they were compared to God’s own glory. They hid from Him, and the consequence of their sin was now total separation from God, a spiritual death. This was not because of God’s anger or even his punishment, but this was the natural consequences of their own sin. Consider when you tell your kids not to do something so they won’t get hurt. You don’t tell them all the details such as it is slippery and you will fall, or it is so high and your foot could slip. But, as you are consoling a crying child, kissing hurts, or rushing to the emergency room, don’t you think to yourself, why didn’t they just listen to me?

So was God only speaking of a spiritual death when He told Adam that if he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil he would surely die? No, in fact, now that Adam and Eve carried an eternal shame in their hearts, it would now carry over into all of their offspring, and so God needed to protect them even further. This time He would not give them the opportunity to disobey. God banned Adam and Eve from the garden, “lest he take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22) If God had allowed Adam to remain in the garden, he might have eaten from this tree that would have given him everlasting life. God knew that would be the worst outcome of this whole scenario, all mankind living in a state of separation from Him for all of eternity, and thus physical death entered the picture.

In God’s goodness, He protected Adam and Eve and all of humanity from a terrible fate. He also provided a proper covering for Adam and Eve from the skin of an animal to cover over their shame. Thus, Adam and God’s spiritual relationship was restored, but they still carried with them the consequence of their sin. Romans 5:12 states, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all have sinned.”

Here is the answer to many of the hard questions. This was not what God originally created. He did not create evil, and the things that occur in this world are a result of Adam’s sin. Yes, in His omniscience and foresight, He did know the path that Adam would ultimately take, which is why He chose to cover Adam and Eve’s sin with the skin of an animal. This was a way for Him to restore relationship with Adam. This was a foreshadowing of the One who would come later to bring justification to all, the Light who would come to bring life to the spiritually dead, the Lamb who was slain, and the Word who was present at creation. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous,” Romans 5:19. God has been good since the beginning of time. It is His very nature and He has not changed.

In Hard Questions Part 3: Compassion, I will show that God is often heart broken by the atrocities that occur here on this earth, but that He works through them, and that He has a plan to ultimately deliver us from the hardships of this world.

The Hard Questions Part 1: Creation

Many God-fearing Christians who know and love God, still struggle with some of those “hard questions.” We all have doubts from time to time, but in an attempt to strive for faithfulness, many well meaning Christ followers stuff those doubts into the corner of their minds and decide that they have to wait to ask Jesus when they see Him face to face. There are certainly questions that we will not know or understand the answers to while on this earth, but some of those “hard questions” do have answers that can be found now. God wants us to bring Him our doubts and worries and isn’t surprised by them. With some exploring, understanding and guidance, most solutions are discovered within God’s own Word.

One of the most common questions I have come across is why do bad things happen to good people? That is a great question. If God knows everything and is all powerful, why does he allow things like rape, murder, abuse, loss of a loved one, and horrible sicknesses? Other questions exist like why is it okay for the men in the Old Testament to have multiple wives, or why does God kill so many innocent people in the Bible? Or, why are there terrible catastrophic forces of nature? Many struggle with the question of why a loving and righteous God would cause or allow these things. As Christ followers, we need to know how to respond to these questions. There are others around us who need these answers and need to understand that we have a good God before they will accept Christ. If we are struggling ourselves, we will not be equipped for a proper response.

At the heart of most of these doubts, is a basic mistrust of God’s good character. If we begin with the core belief that God is righteous and holy, then when we encounter a situation in God’s Word or in life that does not seem to align with this, then we will be compelled to explore further and find the explanation. For example, most people know the story of Adam and Eve. They know the Sunday school version of how the serpent tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. She fed it to Adam, and then God banned them from the Garden of Eden. If we stop right here in the story, and are honest, most of us have probably wondered, was God being mean when He banned them from the Garden? Or, if we back up even further, was God being unfair when He prohibited them from eating from a specific tree. To some, this may even confirm in them the idea that God is an iron clad rule maker and that He is just waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. But, a deeper look into this historical event will reveal the opposite. It will prove that God is good and just, and that He is always looking out for our best interests. It will show that it is really us who went astray from His perfect plan, and as a result, a lot of bad and unfair things happen in the world today.

In Genesis 1 we find the account of creation. With only God’s spoken word, the whole earth was created, and after each day of creation, God declares that what He has made is good. I have to stop here and ponder what it must’ve looked like the first time trees arose from the ground, and plants of every color and shape took form. I wonder what the wild animals were like as they roamed the earth freely and lived peacefully. Even Adam and Eve must have been beautiful and perfect in the eyes of God. Genesis 2:1 states, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.” What a sight it must have been! What an awesome God to make something so splendid. What is around us today must grossly pale in comparison to the beauty that once was here. Like a pair of old faded blue jeans, the earth has lost its original richness of color and form.

In fact, in Genesis 3:17, after Adam and Eve sinned against God and the curses were pronounced, the earth itself began to change. God said that it is going to produce thorns and thistles for Adam so that Adam has to work hard for his food now. Before, Adam and Eve just ate whatever grew in the garden. But now, being banned from the garden, they would have to work the fields.  God also lovingly clothed them with the skin of an animal. Here is the first sacrifice made to cover for sin, and it is made by God Himself.  From this point on the earth is different and the relationship that man has with creation has also changed. 

As we look on throughout the Bible, we see verses that point to the slow deterioration of the actual earth, such as Isaiah 51:6, which states, “The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants die out like flies, but my salvation will last forever and my righteousness will never fail.”  In Romans chapter 8 we learn even creation waits “in eager expectation, for the creation was subjected to frustration,” it is in “bondage to decay,” and it has been “groaning as in pains of childbirth” as it awaits its own deliverance. God has a plan to relieve the earth, to rebuild it, and to start over with his righteous chosen (Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Rev 21). Until the day the New Heavens and the New Earth are formed, this earth will continue to deteriorate and move towards destruction. As a result, we will see the battle scars of its turmoil more and more as it nears its end.

In Hard Questions: Part 2 Relationship, I will further explore the account of Adam and Eve and how it reveals the loving and protective nature of God, which will bring to light many answers to those hard questions.