Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002301B
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00:15 Welcome back to Ho Chi Minh City.
00:17 This city formerly known as Saigon 00:19 was of course very famous for the pivotal role 00:21 it played during the Vietnam War. 00:24 Today, lots of tourists come here 00:25 and they look at sites such as this. 00:28 Notre Dom Cathedral, 00:29 many, many Neo-colonial French architecture examples 00:33 all around the city. 00:35 And this is notable because 00:36 all the materials were imported from the country of France. 00:40 Well, next up we visit with Greg 00:41 and Amy Whitsett in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 00:45 So I have enjoyed living 00:47 and working in Asia for the last 16 years. 00:51 I'm the director of the Global Mission Center 00:52 for East Asian religions. 00:54 And when I first came to Asia to share my testimony 00:58 and share the good news with my friends, Buddhists. 01:02 I didn't know how to begin. 01:03 And I was teaching in a college. 01:06 One of my students was a Buddhist monk. 01:08 And as it became time for, 01:11 you know, December Christmas time, 01:13 he asked me, said, "So tell me, what is Christmas all about?" 01:16 And I thought, "Wow, what an opportunity." 01:18 Here's someone who wants to know about my religion. 01:20 So I didn't know where to begin, 01:21 I thought, well, 01:23 they don't understand why we needed a Savior, 01:25 so I decided I should just do quick overview, 01:28 starting with creation and the fall 01:30 and the promise that Messiah would come 01:32 and then talk about His birth 01:33 and then I realize, well, if I just stop with His birth, 01:36 he doesn't understand what it happened next. 01:39 So then I talked about how Jesus went about 01:42 healing people in His teachings, 01:44 and then He was crucified on the cross 01:45 and He died for us. 01:47 He rose from the dead. 01:48 And He went back to heaven, and He's coming back soon. 01:51 And you know what his response was? 01:54 He was actually giggling out of embarrassment 01:56 of what I had just unloaded on him, 01:58 and it didn't really make sense to him. 02:00 So I began to realize early on that, 02:04 it doesn't make sense 02:06 what I share with my Buddhist friends. 02:08 And so what do I do? I was kind of at a quandary. 02:11 So my wife and I would just like 02:12 to take a couple of minutes 02:14 and talk to you about these challenges that we face. 02:17 Something that we've discovered is that 02:18 you can actually use the analogy of sports 02:22 to understand the differences between the Buddhist worldview 02:25 and a Christian worldview. 02:26 The Christian worldview is very similar 02:28 to soccer or football. 02:30 With soccer or football, you have two teams 02:32 who are competing against each other 02:34 physically, actually fighting each other 02:36 for the ball for control. 02:38 And, you know, 02:40 you've got to get your ball into the net 02:43 on the other side of the field. 02:45 You've got people who are trying to stop you, 02:47 trying to steal the ball from you. 02:49 You have people who can help you. 02:51 Your coach is there to help you and to support you, 02:53 and to give you some guidance and some direction, 02:56 and you have your whole team, you work together as a team 02:59 to move your ball into your net. 03:03 Another key importance with this analogy 03:05 is that with soccer or football, 03:08 you have a very limited timeframe. 03:10 You're only on the field for about 90 minutes, 03:12 45 minutes for each half. 03:14 And whoever gets the most points 03:16 at the end of that 90 minutes wins. 03:21 Also, it's interesting to note that you can be on the bench. 03:24 You don't actually have to touch the ball once 03:26 during the game and you can still win. 03:28 That's true, my team wins. Right. 03:29 What's important is that you're on a team 03:31 and we see this in Christianity. 03:34 There's a big, big battle between God, 03:37 between Satan, we have to choose a side. 03:40 And there's a limited timeframe. 03:41 We understand as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 03:44 that Jesus is coming and He's coming very soon, 03:46 which gives us a great amount of a sense of urgency, 03:51 urgency that time is limited. 03:53 We've really got to work hard. 03:54 We got to learn how to work as a team. 03:56 We've got to do our best using the skills 03:58 that each individual has 04:00 to play the game of soccer or golf, 04:03 or in this case, Christianity. 04:05 And the other limit on time, of course, 04:06 is that we only have one life, right? 04:07 Right. 04:09 And we have to choose in this life 04:10 whom we will serve. 04:11 So, that's the Christian perspective. 04:14 But what about the Buddhist perspective? 04:17 And all of our Asian friends in this part of the world? 04:20 Well, their perspective 04:21 is actually a little bit more like golf. 04:24 Now with golf, everyone has their own ball. 04:26 You don't hit each other's ball. 04:29 There's no teams, you know, you don't see team hats, 04:32 you know, and jerseys. 04:34 No, it's each individual is for himself, 04:35 he must win at his own way. 04:37 And actually, 04:39 golf is much more of a mental game 04:41 in the sense that it's a riddle. 04:43 How are you going to best play the game, 04:45 you have different clubs that you can use 04:47 and they all must be used you know, 04:49 for different purposes. 04:50 You have drivers and I don't know, 04:53 I don't play golf, but you have all irons 04:55 and the weather conditions even affects your game. 04:58 How fast the greens are playing and this type of thing. 05:01 And so, how is this like Buddhism? 05:05 Well, in Buddhism, 05:07 there's not really any opponent 05:09 who's out to get you to defeat you. 05:12 You're your own worst enemy. 05:13 And its focus is on self improvement, right? 05:17 And then you actually have 18 holes. 05:20 You know, a lot of people say is kind of expensive 05:22 to play the game of golf. 05:24 Actually, if you play really badly, 05:26 you can play all day until they close at night, 05:29 because, you know, it takes you so long 05:31 to get that ball into, into the cup. 05:35 So and I guess that's kind of like 05:37 how life could be in the Buddhist mindset is that, 05:39 depending on how well you play... 05:41 They're not very skilled. 05:42 Yeah, it could take you longer. 05:44 Also, a lot of Asians, a lot of Buddhists 05:46 have an understanding of the spirits. 05:48 And so who are they? 05:49 Are they against us? 05:51 Well, in Christianity, 05:52 we would say the spirits are fallen angels 05:54 who are against us, trying to defeat us, 05:56 but actually the way Buddhists would see spirit 05:59 is very different, 06:01 they would see it kind of like the wild animals in the forest. 06:03 Yes, you can get hurt by them, they could attack you, 06:05 they might see you as a meal. 06:07 But the animals in the forest are just doing 06:10 what that comes naturally and the same with spirits. 06:11 In fact, the spirits could help you 06:14 as much as hurt you, 06:15 like a sand trap on the golf green, 06:17 you know, you have a sand trap. 06:18 It's not running around trying to catch your ball. 06:21 The pond isn't moving around trying to block your shot. 06:23 No, it's just, it's there. 06:25 And you have to deal with these realities. 06:27 And so this is exactly like Buddhism 06:29 is we have to work with these environments, 06:32 and that it's just about improving ourselves. 06:37 So you see the difference. 06:38 When we talk about Christianity, 06:41 we talk about these things that is so different 06:44 from what the Buddhist has in mind 06:46 about what works. 06:48 So oftentimes what we do is we go to Buddhists 06:50 and we start talking about football, soccer, 06:55 and giving them all the rules 06:56 and how that's going to help them play a better game 06:58 and they'll sit there and scratch their head 06:59 and say, "Well, yeah, I guess you play on grass, 07:01 we play on grass." 07:03 You have a ball and we have a ball. 07:04 Yes, we both have balls and... 07:06 We run and get exercise, we run and get exercise. 07:08 So it's all the same. It's all good. 07:10 And in that level, yes, it's true. 07:11 All religions do teach morals, but the rules of the game 07:14 and the purpose is totally different. 07:16 And so what we need to do is take time to listen, 07:19 take time to observe, 07:21 and take time to learn so that we can share the gospel 07:24 in the right way. 07:25 So how can you begin? 07:26 Well, there's a couple things you can do. 07:28 If you have Buddhist friends or neighbors, 07:30 I encourage you to take time to get to know them, 07:32 just be a friend, earn their trust, 07:34 win their confidence and eventually 07:36 you'll be able to start sharing your own testimonies with them 07:38 about how God is changing you. 07:41 The second thing that you can do 07:42 is go to our website, cear.adventistmisison.org. 07:46 And there you will find some resources to help you 07:48 to understand Buddhism, 07:49 and to understand better how you can share 07:52 your relationship with Jesus with your Buddhist friends. 07:55 God bless you. 07:56 If you're enjoying today's program, 07:58 I invite you to follow us on Facebook or Instagram. 08:01 There you'll find various videos 08:03 posted about mission around the world. 08:05 Just go to Instagram, Facebook 08:07 and search for Mission360 TV 08:10 and there you will find us and just click like or follow. 08:14 Next up, we travel back to South America. 08:20 With Bibles in hand, 08:22 this church planting duo 08:23 began exploring their new community, 08:25 introducing themselves to neighbors 08:27 and hoping to connect with them. 08:29 They knew sharing the Adventist message 08:31 in a city like Lima could be challenging. 08:34 With a population of almost 10 million people, 08:37 Peru's capital is one of South America's largest 08:39 and busiest cities. 08:41 As in many other urban areas, people are often busy 08:44 and interest in religion is fading. 08:47 There was no Seventh-day Adventist congregation 08:50 in this part of the city 08:51 until a local Adventist family 08:53 took the initiative to start one. 08:56 First, they began meeting for worship in their home 08:58 and invited their neighbors to join them. 09:01 Then they invited theology students 09:02 from the Adventist University in Lima 09:04 to come preach in the streets. 09:07 This event stirred up a lot of interest 09:09 in the community. 09:10 As the family spoke more and more with their neighbors, 09:13 they realized there were many needs. 09:16 They recruited other Adventists in Lima 09:18 and arranged a health expo for the community. 09:20 People appreciated the compassion 09:23 and genuine care they encountered. 09:26 Soon after the first health expo, 09:27 Dina and Catherine were called to serve full time 09:31 through the 1000 Missionary Movement, 09:33 an initiative started and supported 09:34 by several of the Adventist churches world divisions. 09:39 When Dina and Catherine first knocked on Abigail's door, 09:42 they asked if they could pray with her. 09:44 Abigail gladly accepted their invitation, 09:47 and the girls returned each day for prayer. 09:50 After a few doorway prayers, Abigail invited them inside 09:54 where Dina and Catherine offered her Bible studies. 09:58 With each visit, the girls noticed 10:00 how Abigail struggled to maintain her home. 10:03 She was having a difficult pregnancy at the time 10:05 and had another child to care for. 10:08 She often didn't feel well enough 10:09 to keep up with household chores. 10:12 Dina and Catherine eagerly began to help. 10:16 They assisted Abigail by cleaning, cooking 10:18 and taking her child to school. 10:21 Adventist Church members in Lima 10:22 also gathered food to give to the family. 10:26 Their acts of kindness showed Abigail the love of Jesus. 10:37 It's been several months, 10:39 and Abigail still looks forward to the weekly Bible studies. 10:42 She's just one of 40 community members, 10:45 whom Dina and Catherine visit regularly. 10:48 Through Christ method, 10:50 Dina and Catherine have helped 10:51 plant a new church in this neighborhood 10:53 where about 30 people worship each Sabbath. 10:56 Please pray for church planters like Dina and Catharine 11:00 who are on the frontlines of mission, 11:02 pray for strength and compassion 11:04 as they continue to reach others for Christ. 11:07 Thank you for supporting Adventist Mission. 11:20 Well, that's about it for today's program. 11:23 And I hope that you have been challenged and inspired 11:26 by our 360° view of mission around the world, 11:30 and especially here in Vietnam, 11:32 in the heart of a 10/40 Window 11:34 where 60% of the world's population 11:37 live in this region. 11:39 And most of them, 11:40 most of the people living here have not even heard 11:43 the name of Jesus. 11:44 And I want to thank you so much 11:46 for being part of our Adventist Mission Team. 11:49 Thank you for taking the time with your families 11:52 to pray for mission, 11:53 to pray for missionaries, 11:55 to pray for Global Mission Pioneers, 11:57 church planters, 11:59 to pray for the cities 12:00 where most of the world's population now live. 12:03 Before we go today, I want to thank you so much 12:06 for your continuing support through your mission offerings 12:09 and your donations to global mission. 12:12 Thank you for your personal involvement. 12:13 And before we go, 12:15 let's listen to this mission music video. 12:19 Take the opportunity as it plays 12:21 to think about mission, to pray about mission, 12:24 to pray about your personal involvement. 12:27 For Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause. 12:29 And I hope that you can join me next time 12:31 right here on Mission 360°. |
Revised 2020-04-14