Thailand Experiences Hope Help Healing

STORIES FROM THAILAND: HOPE, HELP, HEALING

In Wiang Hang – German Anthropologist: Why not leave the Thai people and their culture alone? 

Buddhism influences over one billion.  3,000 unreached Buddhist people groups in SE Asia/East Asia alone. 

Buddhism is a religion that totally denies that there is a God.

Three things to emphasize: Buddhism leaves you without: hope, help, or healing (spiritually).

Without Hope:

·        Bring up corpse to WH - ladies wailing.

·        14 yr old suicide - strings/dreams/gambling/fireworks/stairway on road/parties at temple.

·        Gae Noy road - Soldiers burn drug trafficker in tires.  People lived in fear.

·        Drunken soldiers with guns - oppress people daily in villages.  Feel hopeless and powerless.

·        Lun Jan - Became Christian & went back to spirit worship.

·        Don’t throw away first love: world & Satan will chew you up & spit you out & leave you hopeless.

·        At funeral, monks ... “Dead, never to arise.  Gone, never to return.  Asleep, never to awaken.” 

Buddhism is emotionally unsatisfying & spiritually demoralizing, leading to despair & hopelessness.

There is no God - you must only help yourself! -  Satan’s power is in deception!

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 describes a hopeless situation: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”  (NIV)

Without Help:

·        Temple in Payaaw – Depicts a Buddhist’s concept of “hell,” or life of torment: Dogs biting; Peoples intestines open, tongues to ground; people in flaming pots.  No help at temple to escape such torment.

·        Man cut his head digging a well and leaves spirit offering on church property. 

·        Drive by Lisu villages - offerings by roadside: clothing and food for spirits

·        Offer merit - Deputy PM: pigs head - Birds - Bells - incense - gold on statues.  Help themselves!

·        Loy Gratong Festival - Honors the water spirits on the 11th lunar (full) moon in November – when the rivers and canals are at their highest.  Offering, River & Person are unholy

·        Songkran – Thai New Year held in mid-April: Water does not cleanse

No sin against a God - only for karma & chance for nirvana.  Where does their help come from?

This echoes Psalms 121:1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?” (NIV)

Without Healing:  Look at some physical sicknesses:

·        12 yr old Karen girl dies of an infection.  Parents told me that they had no $ for the hospital.

·        Lady with tetanus - died.  An inoculation would easily have saved her.

·        Pan - little boy - neighbor - had blood disease and died.

·        Many came for med: Example: Lisu lady & malnour baby - no breast milk - money for formula.

·        Many came by our house with infections in need of antibiotics.

·        Lao children have malaria -  large % died in hospitals - 200 years.  Private hospitals for wealthy.

·        In Khukhan, Dawn & baby living in shack; retarded, raped by uncle, raised by alcoholic grandma.

·        Boot - Shan Christian has AIDS - have seen 2 other neighbors die of aids.

·        See sick people who sacrificed for healing: Seen drunkenness, opium addic, gambling addiction.

More than physical healing, these people need spiritual healing.  Spirits cannot heal - only Jesus heals.

Jesus brings hope, help and healing:

Isaiah 53:5 says that by His stripes we are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 states: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”  (NIV)

Now, let me share with you some of those who have been healed spiritually by Jesus.

·        Sila - Prostitute with cancer.  Became a Christian & came to all services; over to our house all the time; at the hospital in Chiang Mai, she died with peace.

·        Suwan - Karen who came to home and discipled.  Went to Bible College and now married and serves as leader among the Karen.

·        Uncle Gold, who is only Christian in neighborhood in Gonglom, spirits do not like him there.

·        Solomie - Lisu girl who went to adult high school; we paid for her education and took her through Scripture.  Today, while missionaries are on furlough, she is learning sign language and is working with our friends, the Liebrandts, who have an outreach with the dear.  While they’re on furlough, she will be responsible for overseeing their ministry to the deaf.

·        Lawan, student 4 years at a Bible college and now serves with OMF.  Husband is a preacher.

·        Tida who is a faithful Christian.  She struggles with hurts, insecurities, anxieties and anger, but has turned these things over to the Lord.  GOD TAKES US JUST AS WE ARE!

·        Daeng - heavy drinker and now a gardener for OMF.

·        Suntawn & Noy (divorced - temper, etc.) who are grounds keepers/camp managers in Wiang Hang.

·        Bok - who was baptized in a Bangkok prison.

Where does Bok’s help come from?

Psalms 121:2: “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  (NIV)

Only Jesus can release these people who are in a spiritual prison - can release you from your spiritual prison.

Jesus said (in Luke 4:18-19): "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Buddhism – the “world” – offers only a prison – perhaps temporary pleasures, but eternal emptiness.

Question: spiritually-speaking, are you a slave, or our you free?

Have you given your life to Christ so that your life is free from bondage, or are you a slave to sin? 

Do you live in hope, or fear?

Are you living for temporary pleasures, or have you invested your life that will make an eternal difference?

If you were to stand before Jesus today, are you confident as to where you will spend eternity?

Jesus can give your life meaning and bring hope, peace and joy.

Jesus can help you in every situation.  He doesn’t promise to bring an “instant fix,” but He does promise to be there to help you in every situation.

Jesus can bring spiritual healing in your life.  You are not too great a sinner for Christ to transform.

He died on the sin just for you and desire that you commit your life totally to Him.

God loves you and will forgive you.  He awaits to accept you into His family. 

Won’t you give your live to Him?