Participants:
Series Code: IWTC
Program Code: IWTC000012A
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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, 00:22 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, 00:30 but I'm still not satisfied. 00:35 God's crazy in love with the Thai people, 00:38 and I sense His Spirit hovering over the city. 00:40 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 in 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 12 million. 00:57 Welcome to my world. 01:11 This three story building is being rented by the 01:14 Thailand Adventist Mission as a Church Plant Center here in a 01:17 Bangkok suburb called 01:21 The first floor is where all the meetings and activities are 01:24 conducted, while the Church Planting families live on the 01:26 second and third floors. 01:28 Today's a special day because they're having a children's 01:31 evangelism program and graduation with Pastor Doug's 01:33 family helping out. 01:35 Dawn in telling the story of the parable of the lost sheep. 01:38 A story many of these kids have probably never heard before. 01:41 Pastor Reben is from the Philippines, and he's here to 01:44 reach out through teaching English. 01:46 He and his wife Merissa are the Church Planters 01:49 here at the Center. 01:54 Normally there's also a Thai pastor living here to help 01:57 translate and connect with the community. 01:59 But there's a shortage right now of Thai pastors due to the 02:02 closing of the Thai Theology Program eight years before. 02:06 Pastor Jim is here from the Division, and he gets the honor 02:09 of handing out the graduation certificates, 02:11 along with a special gift. 02:13 And, thanks to your mission offering, he is able to give a 02:16 little bit for this Church Plant to try a new approach, 02:19 to step outside into the community. 02:21 Who's going to get all of my money if I don't 02:23 have a lovely little boy? 02:24 Back and forth, and back and forth. 02:27 Vote for him. Count the stars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... 02:30 God said, That's how many children you're going to have. 02:32 And Abraham said, Oh, good! 02:36 Sarah, good news, good news! 02:37 Wake up, wake up! God said you're going to have a baby! 02:39 Good news! 02:42 The new approach is this Health Expo right here in the middle 02:46 of the neighborhood. 02:47 I asked Doug why they were doing it. 02:49 We're trying to share God's love in practical ways to meet real 02:53 needs combining health ministry with the gospel ministry 02:56 just like Jesus did. 02:57 And in that context we can then see the hearts opening. 03:02 I'm not trying to count baptisms, I'm not trying... 03:04 Right now I'm not trying to count how many people are 03:07 paying their tithe. 03:08 I'd like to step back and say how many people have we helped? 03:12 How many people even know who we are? 03:14 How many people know why we're doing this community service? 03:18 Is it to earn merit so in that way we can be super holy, 03:21 super spiritual people? 03:23 No, it is because the love of God motivates us, 03:28 and then we share that with others. 03:52 What did he say? 03:54 Okay, so he said he learned through this to change his 03:59 lifestyle, because he has problems. 04:02 He has been smoking. 04:03 So he would smoke less, and he would eat more fruits, 04:07 and drink more water. 04:12 And so she learned about exercise, 04:14 because she doesn't exercise at all. 04:16 So from now on she will start doing exercise every morning. 04:20 This kind of community service; this is what it takes 04:23 to reach these communities. 04:25 Especially they have to know who we are. 04:27 They have to learn to trust us. 04:29 And when we do drive in church it doesn't work. 04:32 She has learned a lot from this, and what she would apply, 04:37 well that would be exercise, and eating healthy food, 04:40 and drinking water. 04:42 So she's learned a lot from this Newstart program, 04:48 and she's also heard of the church here. 04:51 She's walked past the church many times 04:54 because she lives around here. 06:15 We've been in this community now for what? in March 06:18 it will be five years. 06:21 And how do you feel about this? Very sad. 06:56 What's this feel like for you? 07:11 The reason why this Church Plant is moving today is why Reben? 07:15 What's, what's going on? 07:22 So the owner sold the building? 07:29 So this wasn't about the mission saying that you're 07:34 not doing a good job. 07:35 We don't want to invest in this community. 07:37 Okay, so I want that to be clear. Right. 07:40 But I know that it's an easy decision now that we don't have 07:45 enough Thai workers we're dealing with budget cuts. 07:48 Now that this could be instead of we're going to relocate the 07:52 center, or this Church Plant, well we'll just combine. 07:56 And so we'll close this one and we'll go and 08:00 move to another place, so that's my fear. 08:03 And as you've heard from the Church Planter and his wife 08:08 Merissa, the relationships that we've built here over the last 08:13 five years, we're in jeopardy of losing those. 08:24 It's starting over again. 08:27 If we move. It's starting over again. 08:31 The relationships that we've built with the neighborhood, 08:34 with the community, with the businesses, with even the 08:39 district leader, all of those. 08:42 You know, it's taken us five years of investment. 08:47 And everything in Thailand works on the relationship. 08:50 Right, you know. Long term. 08:51 Long term relationships. 08:53 When you're in the community and the people see you 08:57 day in and day out; you have those relationships with the 09:01 people, ministering to the kids, hanging out, shopping, 09:06 as well as when people have a concern, 09:09 or they stop by for prayer. 09:11 When we don't have this space it's really hard to do 09:15 incarnational ministry. 09:21 So, but how can you even do church? 09:24 When you come here on Sabbath and you don't have space, 09:28 do you just have church in the street? 09:35 We're paying 14,000 baht per month. 09:38 Not quite $500 a month. 09:45 We're trying to find a place. It's not that... 09:49 Oh, the place that he found is 18. 09:51 It's double the place. 09:54 Yeah. When we rent a facility we have to do improvements. 09:58 We have to put in lights, and electricity, and water, 10:01 and all the other things. 10:03 And, you know, painting, fixing leaking roofs, 10:07 and those kind of things. 10:08 And so that's something where we've already done that here. 10:12 So I know that my officers aren't very happy with when we 10:18 have to move again and then reincur all those costs. 10:21 They just see that we're wasting money. 10:24 But because we don't buy these places, or have long term 10:28 agreements with the owners, then what else can we do? 11:12 I wish that you wouldn't keep asking that question, 11:16 but we can see a direct cause and effect relationship, 11:20 because when people don't see the results of their giving, 11:27 then we get to experience this in the field 11:35 where work is closed. 11:38 In this case right now it's supposed to be a relocation, 11:43 but my fear is that this could be the closing 11:47 of this Church Plant. 11:49 So, yes, there's a direct relationship between those who 11:54 give and those who live here. 12:11 I see, I see, I see it differently. 12:15 I don't see it as dollars. 12:17 I see it as the influence of this community. 12:22 This center is a center of influence. 12:25 I wish we could have been here for the Christmas program. 12:28 They had over a hundred people here hearing of what the true 12:31 meaning of Christmas; why Jesus Christ came to this earth. 12:35 Many of them may have heard it for the first time. 12:37 And many of them may have heard it for the first time. 12:41 To see five years' worth of work just vanish... 12:49 I don't know how to react with that. 13:02 It looks like it. You tell me. 13:05 How do you read this? 13:07 I'd say we're going backwards. 13:09 And it looks like this Church Plant is another victim of the 13:12 decline in mission giving, which by the way, has been getting 13:15 worse for nearly two generations. 13:17 We have a small kitchen right here that they use. 13:25 No running water. And this is where Reben's family 13:30 lives, in this room. 13:35 That's the new condo that's coming in. 13:41 Those apartments range around 3 to 4 million, 13:44 so each unit is for purchase. Yeah. 13:48 So that would be a hundred thousand US dollars. 13:58 There's a lot of people who live in that building. 14:00 They have like a thousand units. 14:06 You know, there's a flood of stories that are coming to my 14:08 mind right now of people meeting Jesus Christ and having their 14:13 prayers answered. Of a God, a personal God who really cares, 14:18 that happened in this place. 14:20 You know, prayers for healing, prayers for jobs, 14:24 prayer for families, prayers for relationships, 14:27 even the desperate prayers of University students trying 14:33 to cram to get exams. 14:35 God, you know the God of this place, 14:37 can You help me pass my exams? 14:39 And to hear those stories of God even answering 14:43 those kind of prayers. 14:45 This Church Plant has been an orphan. 14:46 It's been orphaned because its mother church here in Bangkok 14:52 had four Church Plants and couldn't care for any of them. 14:58 It's been an orphan financially. 15:01 Praise God we did have one church in North America help 15:06 financially, but then that Church Plant 15:09 closed down in America. 15:11 And so that support, prayers, and financial support; 15:17 that has evaporated. 15:19 And then the laymen here in the city; everyone's busy 15:25 with their own lives, and yet Christ tells us to go. 15:32 And where do we go? 15:37 I heard something... 15:38 I know, that people like to go to the hills. 15:41 But what about this hill with a thousand people, 15:44 a thousand families in it? 15:51 But what about you and me? Will we be there? 15:55 We've been given a message of hope, and with that comes also 15:59 the privilege of sharing that hope with others. 16:01 I was excited. I guess I'm still excited about what has 16:06 happened, and what could happen here in Bangkok. 16:09 But it's like after five years we're just starting. 16:30 People like to hear, Oh, there's a missionary come to town. 16:36 And so they'd like to hear the two minute story, you know. 16:39 How's the mission field going? 16:41 How's the work going in the mission fields? 16:45 And I can share, Well, God's changing my heart. 16:51 And I see God answering prayers, and changing lives in the lives 16:57 of the people around myself, my team, and my family. 17:04 But there's not that exuberant group of people saying, 17:09 What can we do? There's a faithful few who say, 17:14 What can we do to help? 17:17 Some come, check it out for themselves. 18:02 So what's your answer to that? 18:08 So there you go; Absolutely not. 18:11 There's a token support for the work; especially in the cities. 18:16 Do I see young people who are committing their lives? 18:22 I see old people who are being awakened to the fact that Jesus 18:28 died for us; Jesus died for me, not just for us. 18:34 And because of that that means that I have the privilege 18:39 of sharing that news with others. 18:41 And guess what? Jesus is coming again! 18:43 And with that good news of Jesus coming again, who will go 18:49 and share it with the community? this community? 18:54 Who will live it? Who will walk with the drug abusing mother? 18:59 Who will walk with the couple who's going 19:03 through marital problems? 19:05 Who will walk with these people? 19:08 This is my life, and so what else can I do? 19:14 Jesus Christ died for me. 19:16 And that reality of His soon return propels me forward. 19:25 I've experienced grace, and that means I now have the privilege 19:30 of sharing that grace. 19:32 I don't know about other people, but I know that that love of 19:39 Christ, that joy, that assurance, that peace, 19:44 that hope, it's real in my heart. 19:47 And that's what I want to share. 19:50 That's what I'm trying to share. 19:52 That's what this team is trying to share. 19:54 That's what they have done in the last five years. 19:56 Are we done? Are we done? 20:04 I don't think so. I don't think so. 20:14 Well, why are we meeting in the street? you may ask. 20:19 We don't have a place, and so, because the owner repossessed 20:25 the building, and so we had to move. 20:27 And so now what we're facing is that we've been working 20:30 in this community now for five years. 20:32 And so we can't just abandon, and so that's why we're here now 20:39 is to continue to work among the kids, 20:42 and to do this Branch Sabbath School. 20:45 And so then that way when we relocate, hopefully, in this 20:48 neighborhood again. 20:49 And that way we can have continuity. 20:51 So, but this does highlight the need for partnership with 20:58 our people, and finding locations, because the physical 21:03 assets for the buildings are probably some of our most 21:06 expensive purchases, so we have yet to buy one here in the city. 21:13 How much would it cost to buy it? 21:15 It's around $50,000. 21:17 It's, we've got the lowest offer in this community. 21:20 $50,000.00? $50,000.00. 21:22 And that would buy a three to four story shop house. 21:27 You know, like you see here. 21:29 So you have all the floors? 21:31 So that's where. We did find some other ones. 21:34 Here are some of the kids now. 21:36 Reben found them, and it looks like they're wanting to play. 22:30 We're in right, up right, down right, happy all the time. 22:34 I'm in right, up right, down right, happy all the time. 22:37 Since Jesus Christ came in, I gave my life to Him. 22:40 I'm in right, out right, up right, down right, 22:44 happy all the time. 23:27 And it's now been four months since we shut down the Center, 23:30 and we're still in the process of trying to find a new place 23:34 here in this neighborhood. 23:35 So the team has had to refocus and have their community 23:40 activities, which like today, we saw this Branch Sabbath School. 23:44 I really like the fact that the kids were singing Scripture 23:46 songs, and that just warmed my heart to see them 23:49 enthusiastically sharing God's word from their souls, 23:57 and their entire beings singing these Scripture songs. 24:00 In many of these cases the homes that they go back to the only 24:05 Scripture that these people have ever seen is what these kids are 24:09 now testifying and sharing. 24:12 And so that's what excites me about serving in this 24:15 neighborhood is that God's word is now a living word in the 24:20 lives of these boys and girls. 24:25 It broke my heart to see this, but I know that until we find 24:31 a location it's a, I guess I'm still not satisfied. 24:38 I'm still not happy that we can only do this every so often 24:44 instead of on a daily basis. 24:45 We've been in this neighborhood for five years now, 24:48 and so I don't want to just, because it's inconvenient, 24:52 that just to move out. 24:54 We need to continue what we started. 24:57 We've seen the sacrifice of other missionaries who traveled 25:00 many hours to come and help not only this Sabbath afternoon, 25:05 but other Sabbath afternoons. 25:07 So their commitment also is a testimony that warms my heart, 25:14 that God's people are seeing the need here in the field. 25:17 So we just need a few more. 25:25 According to Wikipedia, the city is big; like I think it's 25:35 of city, so that's kind of big. 25:39 And so we're just here in one neighborhood, and we're touching 25:45 the lives of the families in this neighborhood. 25:48 And we've been doing that now for five years. 25:50 And so literature works, media works, but it's this ground 25:57 saturation of making friendships, and building those 26:01 connections in the community that that's really where 26:03 the gospel is seen. 26:06 The tithes, at least when I've talked to them, they aren't 26:09 interested in what you believe until they see how it's lived. 26:12 They'd rather see a sermon than to hear it. 26:18 So this is her daughter. And I need... 26:28 Oh, her name is... 26:34 So I was asking when was the first time she heard... 26:40 How old was she when she first heard the name of Jesus? 26:43 And her answer was, I was 45. 26:46 Yeah, she still hasn't heard the story. 26:50 Yeah, so she's heard the name, but she hasn't heard the story. 26:55 Well I'm nearing the end of my time here in Bangkok, 26:57 and I've seen firsthand the effect of the decline in giving 27:00 to foreign missions. 27:01 To be honest, our work is collapsing. 27:04 It's being strangled by a lack of resources and interest. 27:07 Church Plants are closed. 27:08 The typology program is closed. 27:10 The press is closed. 27:11 There have been no Ellen White books in print for years, 27:13 and there's an increasing lack of Thai pastors, 27:16 yet nobody seems to know about this situation or even care. 27:19 Where are the true believers? 27:21 The fact is that unless we make a drastic change the work 27:24 overseas will continue to decline. 27:26 Have we turned out back on God and His desire to take the 27:30 healing gospel to a lost and dying world? 27:32 If so, then how will God feel about us when He comes again 27:36 in the clouds of glory? 28:10 You know, when you see a program like we've just viewed, 28:13 you say, Who is sufficient for these things? 28:16 But we've been called to make a difference in our world. 28:19 And I want to encourage you to keep praying for mission. 28:22 Find ways to get involved, and please continue to 28:26 support financially. 28:27 Thank you for what you are giving. 28:28 And if you want to find out more about the 10/40 window, 28:31 the growing challenge of the cities, go to: 28:35 And may God bless you as you continue to support mission. 28:39 I want to thank our members, especially in North America, 28:42 for support and sacrifice of the mission offering. 28:46 The mission work of this church cannot exist unless it's through 28:50 our partnership, so let us not grow weary in doing good, 28:54 for in due season we shall reap, if we don't give up. 29:20 Next week experience Christ's power in new Church Plants, 29:24 and face the painful reality of districts where we have 29:27 no churches at all. 29:28 Watch next Wednesday. |
Revised 2018-01-23