Participants: Pr. Doug Venn
Series Code: IWTC
Program Code: IWTC000002A
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00:08 Over the past sixty years there's been a massive decline
00:11 in foreign missions. 00:15 I'm sharing the gospel through church planting. 00:19 In the 1930's if somebody gave $10.00 in tithe, 00:21 they'd give an additional $6.00 in foreign missions; 00:24 today just 28 cents. 00:27 We're doing the best we can with what we have, 00:29 but I'm still not satisfied. 00:35 God's crazy in love with the Thai people, and I sense His 00:39 spirit hovering over the city. 00:41 I've come to Bangkok, Thailand to discover the truth 00:43 about foreign missions. 00:45 Come with me as I follow my good friend, Pastor Doug Venn, 00:48 and his everyday life as a frontline missionary. 00:50 I prayed for God's biggest dream, 00:52 and He gave me this city of twelve million. 00:56 Welcome to my world. 01:11 Today we're heading downtown to go to the hospital. 01:13 Nicole and Andrew are student missionaries on Doug's team. 01:17 And the fastest way to get there is by river taxi. Yep, a boat. 01:24 Don't worry, nobody's sick. 01:26 We're going because the Thailand Adventist Mission is teaming up 01:29 with the Bangkok Adventist Hospital to put on a large 01:32 Health Expo in downtown Bangkok in just a few weeks. 01:35 Bangkok is built on a swamp and is sinking on a rate of 01:39 about two inches every year. 01:41 These canals were designed for drainage, defense, 01:44 and transportation. 01:45 There were so many canals at one time that Bangkok was known 01:49 as the Venice of the East. 01:51 They were much more popular back before all the blacktop 01:53 roads were put in, and they're still faster to some 01:56 parts of the city today. 01:57 I first rode a river taxi in 1969 with my parents, 02:02 who were returning missionaries from New Guinea. 02:04 I was five at the time, but I still remember the kids 02:07 swimming, laughing, and waving at us. 02:09 Back in '69 there were 3 million people living in Bangkok, 02:14 but today there's around four times that many. 02:16 And yet now there are fewer resources, 02:19 and fewer missionaries to reach all those extra people. 02:23 How in the world can we accomplish this task? 02:26 Pastor Doug thinks that the key may be through the Thai's rising 02:30 interest in healthy living. 02:36 Along with the newfound prosperity comes new health 02:39 problems like Diabetes and heart disease, which could be the open 02:42 door God uses to show His love to the precious Thai people. 02:46 Would you like to buy a pineapple? special price. 02:56 We're on our way to the hospital now to plan this upcoming Health 03:01 Expo, so we have to walk through this clothing market. 03:06 Now we're going through the fruit market, so you've got to 03:09 watch out here because it's kind of a place; 03:13 we'll call it a foreigner trap. 03:19 These are good! 04:04 Mangos are incredible here. 04:06 And you can see actually every variety here. 04:09 This is a mango shop and every variety here is delicious. 04:13 I don't know what they're called, but my wife and my 04:16 family they love these kinds. 04:26 Not only has Bangkok's population increased 04:28 dramatically, but the population of the whole world has nearly 04:31 doubled since my parents came home in 1969. 04:34 But while the world's population increases, we are seeing a rapid 04:37 decrease in the number of long term missionaries 04:40 and foreign mission giving. 04:41 And people that live over here feel the effect, 04:44 and the lack every day. 04:46 But they've also found the secret of true joy, 04:49 which is service, and giving of yourself 04:51 so that others may live. 04:57 Welcome to the hospital. 04:59 It's an island in the city, and like Nicole said, it's a jungle. 05:03 Bangkok Adventist Hospital was founded back in 1937, 05:06 and now has 200 beds and a full-time school of nursing. 05:10 Nicole is a graphic designer, and she's drawn up some really 05:14 great design ideas for the hospital 05:16 marketing team to look over. 05:17 We're here at the Marketing Department of the 05:20 Bangkok Adventist Hospital. 05:22 And we're here for a meeting with some ladies, 05:25 but as you can tell, they're not here. We're late. 05:29 That's not a lady. Yeah, I know. 05:35 So she's asked me today to help translate 05:38 for you as the designer. 05:39 Oh, great! 05:41 Yeah, Oh great is right. Yeah, Oh great. 05:43 This will be fun. 05:45 This is the kind of the idea. 05:55 Okay, so, alright. She's giving me... This is... 05:58 Trying to get her to speak English. 05:59 Right. This is what the Thai's call... 06:02 She's kind of, she's being modest with her ability. 06:06 Right? What they're asking for some support with is what is 06:11 going to be on those panels. 06:14 Okay, these are just rough sketches of ideas you could try. 06:19 So this one is using street signs maybe, and you could point 06:23 that with arrows where it's healthy living. 06:25 And then another one is using maybe science, and like the 06:30 ...elements, so discover your elemental health here. 06:35 Do you understand? Yeah. 06:36 Okay, just making sure. 06:39 Okay, just so you know; talk too fast. 06:42 Slowly. Very slowly. 06:44 Okay, and, Oh, and this one we're trying travel as a theme. 06:51 We have your ticket to a healthier future. 06:53 I was thinking maybe sort of a globe, and each booth is like 06:59 a different destination. 07:00 So people can maybe get stamps in their passport, like a check. 07:06 This one is sort of just basic colors, so we're trying health 07:09 is colorful; color your life. 07:11 So each letter, New Start, would be a different color. 07:16 And then you could try that. 07:17 That's a very simple one. 07:19 Yeah, very simple. Yeah! 07:20 Thai's love to have fun. 07:22 And so if you have, you know, if you choose that as a theme, 07:27 then that way we are helping to play, 07:30 so that way it's interactive. 07:45 I think you landed on a winner. They liked it. 07:47 That's good. 07:54 Behind that door over there is an American frontline 07:57 missionary, and the only physician that I that I know of 08:01 who's passed his Thai boards, and he prays with his patients, 08:06 and he's making a soul winning difference here in the city. 08:10 And where are they who spread Your love to the 08:19 lonely ones everywhere? 08:27 And where are they who will give their lives to search 08:36 for the sheep that are lost? 08:55 Today we're heading to the MBK shopping center. 08:58 And instead of going by boat, Pastor Doug has chosen to go by 09:01 motorbike taxi and then the sky train. 09:05 As of 2008 more than half the people in the world live in 09:09 cities, and so we must go and spend time in the cities 09:12 in order to reach them. 09:13 Yeah, the cities aren't the easiest places to feel 09:16 spiritual, but God is here. 09:18 He's moving in people's lives, and many are developing a hunger 09:22 for something they don't know how to fill. 09:24 And I've come to believe that the most effective way to 09:26 witness for Christ is to just live around people that have 09:30 never met a Christian before. 09:31 There are thousands of communities right here in 09:34 Bangkok just like that, waiting. 09:37 We're going to a Health Fair that's coming up at one of 09:42 Bangkok's largest and most heavily populated places. 09:47 So come with us. This is Bernard, and he's one of our friends. 09:51 I was introducing him to the team, and I wanted him to say, 09:55 you know, find out what he's doing here. 09:57 And I introduced you as a missionary. 10:00 So you're correcting me? Well... 10:02 So what's the definition of a missionary? 10:04 Oh, well actually it's true I'm, a missionary, but it's not the 10:08 reason why I came to Bangkok, alright? 10:10 It's not my profession, put it that way. 10:13 Oh. So your profession doesn't let you be a missionary? 10:20 It's nice to be a missionary also. 10:30 See, Bernard here, who is from Germany, and he's a church 10:36 member, very active at the English church, has a great 10:41 heart to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ 10:43 among the Thai people. 10:45 And he's pushing to, you know, Pastor Venn, how are we 10:48 doing with our media? 10:49 How are we doing with our websites? 10:51 And so our laymen... he's one of our supportive laymen. 10:54 But when I interviewed him at the BTS station, 10:58 and I introduced you to him as a missionary, because I know 11:04 that he has this burden to proclaim the gospel. 11:06 He says, No, I'm not a missionary. 11:08 Because I find that this attitude that unless I'm paid 11:14 by the church, unless I have the official, you know, card, 11:18 and there's a vote in action, people don't see themselves, 11:22 our church members don't see themselves as the ones who are, 11:26 you know, their role of proclaiming the gospel. 11:31 And so here he is a missionary because he is one who is sent. 11:36 God has called him, 1. to be a Christian, 2. God has called him 11:41 to have grace, and to have mercy, and He's given him all 11:46 these showers of blessings. 11:52 and an ambassador for Christ, and to go and send that out 11:55 to his business colleagues, and the other people that he 11:58 has influence and contact with, who've never heard the 12:01 name of Jesus Christ. 12:03 So who is a missionary? 12:13 I think that Matthew 28:17-20 is the one that is where I would 12:20 like to point people to. 12:22 Because here, and the reason why I include 17 through 20, 12:25 and a lot of people don't like to use that is because Jesus 12:28 gathers the twelve disciples to the mountain, and then they all 12:32 fall down and worship Him. 12:33 But then the next phrase is very key. 12:37 It says, and some doubted. 12:39 We always like to blame Doubting Thomas as, Well, he's the one. 12:43 He's the skeptic among us. 12:44 He's the cynical one. 12:46 He wants to see things, evidence, and he wants things 12:49 in black and white. 12:51 But the Greek there is very clear that was more than Thomas 12:55 as well as, and this is where I plateau in our lives today, 13:00 and to my life, that Jesus then goes into the call, to go to the 13:04 world, to go to the globe, and then to proclaim His message. 13:09 Who does He give this message and great commission to? 13:12 He gives it to everyone, even those of us who say, 13:15 like Bernard did here, is like Well, really, I'm not called. 13:20 But I have doubts about myself. 13:22 I have doubts, and I have questions. 13:27 I don't have everything all figured out. 13:29 But even to those people, Jesus Christ calls us... 13:37 to then proclaim the message that Jesus Christ loves them, 13:43 He's coming back, and to prepare this planet for His soon return. 13:57 That's... It's true that that disease is global. 14:02 That there's this attitude... 14:13 Like Bernard here, like you, that we are then to, 14:18 based on your skills, and interests, and how God has wired 14:22 you, and has given you interest, and skills, and abilities, 14:26 experiences, even dreams and imagination that we are then 14:31 to unleash, and to have and support you in going out 14:36 to spread the gospel. 14:38 Not that I have to do everything as the paid employee. 14:47 You know, I keep hearing you say that, but I just want to 14:51 sometimes it just makes me want to hit you 14:53 because you actually have. 14:55 You've been trained, but you may not have known it. 14:58 Because how many Sabbath School classes have you been to? 15:01 Okay, and how many times did you see your teacher open the 15:05 Bible and then address, and how many, 15:09 and how many, and address real questions or things like that? 15:15 How many evangelistic meetings have you attended? 15:19 Okay, and so this is where you have had a chance to open God's 15:23 word and see how the truths for today then can be applied to 15:28 real life people and their real life questions. 15:31 Then, and then how many times, how many sermons 15:35 have you listed to? 15:39 Alright, and so this is where, this is where that training 15:43 has in some ways has been informal. 15:46 You know, you haven't set down in a formal class, 15:49 paid your tuition, gotten grades, given a test. 15:52 And maybe we should do it that way. 15:53 You know, there are some of those times where that formal 15:58 education, people will then feel I'm now a certified missionary. 16:02 You know, I have my little diploma and my, 16:05 and I got an A from missionary school. 16:08 But the reality of it is that we, our 16:15 And so this is where, it's been my experience that whether 16:20 you're a businessman, a housewife, a college student, 16:24 God is working in your heart to use you in these last days 16:29 to then proclaim His message. And... 16:34 Because it's like a puzzle. 16:39 And God in His sovereignty, God in His plan, gives us the 16:44 privilege of partnering with Him to proclaim 16:47 the message, and to live it. 16:49 But if we don't, then there's going to be a gap there, 16:53 and God's going to have to try to work things out. 17:04 Yeah, well, I mean they're... many are called, 17:07 but many are lazy. Okay, let's rephrase that. 17:15 And why? And maybe that's instead of blaming you, John, 17:21 maybe what we should do is that we need to be the ones who 17:27 commission people like you, people like Bernard, 17:30 you know, my son, my kids, our community, 17:37 our church members. 17:53 And this is where whatever it takes. 17:57 I've got calls right now that are unfilled through the 18:04 For graphic designers, for video people, for lawyers to teach 18:10 English at a law school. 18:12 Again, these are short term calls for missionaries, 18:18 but it could be long term, of course. 18:20 But this is where I think some, 18:27 And so they think, Well, I'm not a pastor, so what can I do? 18:32 And so it's like, Well, Doug, you're the pastor, and so we're 18:36 paying our tithes and offerings, and so 18:40 Where actually, I think God is calling each one of us to go 18:45 to where He wants us to go. 18:51 But does that mean we neglect the work back home? 18:55 And that's where my, how I resolve that question is like, 19:02 some people say, Well, we should focus at home, 19:04 or we should focus overseas. 19:06 And it like, Well, how about we focus on Christ, and then Christ 19:09 will work on people's hearts to then those who need to go 19:13 overseas will go, as long as they are obedient. 19:16 And then those who are called to serve in our homelands, 19:21 wherever those may be, then they're called by God, too. 19:24 And so instead of trying to make this dichotomy, you know, 19:28 separation, we need to be able to say 19:36 whether that's overseas or at home. 19:45 Yeah, Ellen White does talk about the reflex action where 19:49 when we invest our life, and energy, and our interests, 19:53 and imagination in the work overseas, 19:55 then we receive this reflex action. 19:59 Ah, the reflex action, yes. That is correct. 20:06 Well, how has that worked? 20:09 Yeah, and so that's where, you know, I know of men... 20:13 Well, and that's one reason why I've really, it's been my burden 20:19 is to mentoring to train the young adults, and to train the 20:23 young people to say, You can make a difference. 20:25 And whether it's my own kids, or the college students from 20:31 around the world who joined us here in Bangkok, or through our 20:35 other volunteer programs, even involving the Thai young adults, 20:40 and college students, or high school students to get them 20:44 engaged that, You mean I can do something now? 20:54 ...in a small way? 20:56 And so, or you can, as long as they're in a structured 21:03 environment where, you know, like what we did yesterday with 21:05 the rice give away, and the children's ministry program, 21:09 and the home visitation and prayer ministry. 21:13 I mean we had your daughter, and she's eight years old, 21:19 and my daughter, Hannah, she's eleven, and then we had Kia, 21:24 she's five or six. And so what did they do? 21:27 So they sang songs. 21:30 You should have seen the joy that these three girls... 21:32 they brought to the homes when we're going visiting in the 21:36 slum, that as you're visiting the grandma's and grandpa's who 21:41 couldn't make it out to the community program, 21:45 And one grandma, she just saw the girls there, and so she just 21:50 came and gave them hugs. 21:54 Yeah, and that kind of ministry that a kid can do that we stuffy 22:00 adults, we can't do that. 22:08 Yeah, well, and that's what it's going to take is that ground to 22:12 ground saturation, and so that's why 22:18 We've got to get on this train. 22:20 More than half a million people ride these 22:23 trains every single day. 22:24 That's more people than the entire population 22:28 of Sacramento, California. 22:33 So this is the poor missionary country? 22:37 We're told to go everywhere. 22:39 This place is the biggest, or one of the biggest malls 22:43 here in the country. 22:45 I don't think we're supposed to be filming here, 22:47 but we'll see what we can do. 22:58 So we're on the way to the eighth floor to meet with 23:00 the mall management. 23:03 I don't know where I'm going, so... 23:07 This place is like a massive department store with around 23:10 2,000 shops where you can find anything, from perfume to 23:14 t- shirts, to cell phones, and a 100,000 people 23:16 coming through every day. 23:18 This is the biggest mall in Thailand, and they're going 23:22 to see your design. 23:23 Ah, to see my design! 23:25 Welcome to the real world. 23:28 So you do your best. 23:29 The Lord's opened this door and so the Lord's giving you 23:33 insight, and so you just say, Here's some ideas. 23:40 Tell me about this Thai word I've been 23:43 hearing about; mi penri? 23:45 No problem. This word, mi penri, is... 24:01 Mi penri means never mind. 24:03 Never mind? 24:04 It's not so polite. 24:05 It's not so polite? 24:07 Yes. If you... 24:08 So how would you say it so it's more polite? 24:10 It's more polite, I think for me, mi penri capi sut. 24:14 Oh, so cop, so add the indent, the male classifier at the end. 24:18 Yeah. So mi penri cop. Cop, yes. 24:20 Oh, so thank you. You have good English. 24:22 I thank you very much. Thank you. 24:34 Here's a photo of where we're... the Lord has provided this 24:38 health expo, and it's going to be right, where? 24:43 But they don't have the little shine there. 24:45 No! That one that invaded my design. 24:48 I, just as a curiosity, the time when I came here before, 24:52 I was able to then ask one of the people who 24:57 operate the bathrooms. 25:00 I said, How many people come here a day? 25:03 And she said, Um, in my bathroom alone about 10,000 a day. 25:10 10,000 a day used her bathroom. 25:13 That's a lot of people. 25:14 But when we look at Christ's ministry we see Him going 25:17 to where the masses of people were also, to the main 25:20 thorofares of travel; the big city centers where they gather 25:23 for business, or health, or pleasure. 25:25 He did this in order to bring salvation to them, 25:27 rather than waiting for them to come to Him. 25:31 Now this is the area where they're planning to set up 25:33 a large tent in just a few weeks time. 25:35 And Nicole's training in graphic design is really helpful 25:38 in arresting the attention of the people. 25:41 We spent the last three hours building relationships with the 25:45 mall administration and the leadership team. 25:47 When I first arrived it was, the Lord put a dream in my heart 25:51 to do something here downtown, where everyone is. 25:55 You can just look around us, and there's hundreds of, well, 25:58 there's thousands of people. 25:59 And it's exciting to see that four years later, after God put 26:03 this dream in my heart to do something in a public setting in 26:07 downtown Bangkok, to actually see it come to reality. 26:10 We were going to do it over there, but you can see there's 26:14 a little spirit shrine, or a big spirit shrine, so instead they 26:19 invited us to come to this side of the mall. 26:22 I think it's a little narrower than we were looking at before, 26:25 so it's a little less elbow room for people, but I think that 26:28 the sign situation is actually a lot better. 26:31 We don't have to pay for stands. 26:32 We can use, if we get permission, these built-in 26:36 stands that are kind of on one side of the walkway. 26:38 And I think those look a lot nicer than they would if we just 26:41 popped them up, and it's all built for you. 26:43 Nice. It's kind of a nice area. 26:45 You've been here for three weeks, and you are doing major 26:50 design; the biggest design project that Bangkok Adventist 26:55 Church has ever done. 26:57 No pressure, right? Ha! 27:01 I mean you, you had looked in the AVS call book, 27:04 the student missionary call book? Yeah. 27:07 And there was one call for a designer. 27:10 Yeah, this is the only one. 27:11 Do you know anything about that call? 27:14 Yeah, I was praying. 27:16 I was praying to the Lord to send a missionary designer. 27:19 I'd never heard that term before, missionary designer. 27:22 Well, we're told, I mean you just look around the city, and 27:30 And so this is something where it's through this art form, 27:33 or through this discipline, this skill, and I think actually it's 27:37 That how do you take 27:43 ...so then that way people, instead of selling handbags, 27:47 or stuff that's going to burn anyway; watches, and cars, 27:50 and stuff like that, 28:15 God can use every single one of you in reaching people within 28:20 your local area, but far beyond. 28:23 You don't need to be a pastor, or a teacher, or someone in a 28:27 traditional line of outreach to be part of this great mission 28:30 endeavor for the Lord. 28:32 I encourage all of you to find ways in which you can be 28:37 involved, not only by mission giving, but by practical total 28:42 member involvement; everyone working together. 28:44 Many people are responding. 28:46 You could be one of them. Look at: 28:51 to find out ways in which you can serve locally and globally. 28:55 I thank my God every time I remember you. 28:58 The Philippians supported the Apostle Paul when he was 29:02 doing his mission work. 29:03 And it was through today, through your sacrifice that 29:06 you're able to encourage and support the gospel workers 29:10 around the world as they share Jesus. 29:13 Next week on, I Want This City, we visit a poor community that's 29:17 requested us to be there full time, 29:19 but it's not all good news. 29:25 Watch, I Want This City, Wednesday, 29:27 9:30 Central, 10:30 Eastern. |
Revised 2018-01-10