DOWNLOAD PDF - JULY 2010 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER

 

Dear Friends & Family,The first half of July turned out to be a very busy but very productive time for us.  Joining us for two weeks was a short-term team from East Sarang Community Church in Chino, CA.  Karl coordinated the team together with Tam, who works in student ministry in nearby Lopburi.  The schedule was packed with English teaching, an evangelistic student cafe, open air evangelism & tracting, children’s ministry, and preaching.  Ministering at the Phrabaht church is often very discouraging and lonely, so it has been wonderful to have so many enthusiastic, dedicated young people with us, as well as their team leader, a former classmate of Karl’s from Gordon Conwell Seminary.  Working more closely with Tam was also a great experience as Tam is a hard working Biblically minded servant of God with whom we can communication well.

St. Francis of Assisi is often quoted as saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times.  When necessary use, words.”  Regardless of whether he actually said this or not, I understand the sentiment of some who quote him.  Namely, the Christian faith needs to be lived out, not only talked about.  However, taken as it stands, this quote also seems to provide a convenient loophole clause for those who don’t want to talk about Christ, lest they cause offense or invite criticism.  The implication of the quote seems to be that it is possible to preach the Gospel WITHOUT using words.  This is simply not the case - neither in the “Christian” West nor in Buddhist Thailand where I live.Thai Buddhists often view other religions and religious people as they view themselves and often assume things about Christians and Christianity that are not true.  Here are two brief examples:

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The barriers to communicating the Gospel in Thailand are tremendous even though Thai people are some of the nicest you’ll ever meet.  The guy who owns the photocopy shop where I regularly go is a great example of this.  When I was starting up an evangelistic kids club, I took some cartoon pictures of the sun, moon, stars, animals, numbers, and so forth down to the copy shop to be laminated.  As the photocopy guy was putting them in the plastic sleeves to stick in the laminating machine, he asked, “What are these for?”  So I explained that I was teaching children about God creating the world.  That got us off on discussion about spiritual matters and comparative religion.  I regularly had pictures to laminate for the kids club so the photocopy guy and I had several conversations along these lines on many occasions.  I’ve never detected any hostility from him but it has become clear that what I am trying to explain is simply not “clicking” in his mind.  

What is the most effective way to get to know people and share the Gospel with them?  Although every few years some “great new thing” presents itself as the “key” to reaching people with the Gospel, anything that puts you in contact with people and helps you build relationships can be effective.  For some missionaries, that is going to be English teaching.  For others, it might be sewing, taking kids to the playground, fixing cars, baking or basketball.  There are as many ways to get to know people as there are people.  In Thailand, where my wife & I serve as missionaries, soccer is really popular.  Personally, neither of us are into soccer but I am glad that some missionaries and local Thai Christians are. The video below illustrates how soccer is being used in Thailand to meet guys and share the Gospel with them. The Thai pastor interviewed in the video is the one whom we work together with to do outreach in nearby Nong Doan.   G-wYIlgfmrw&playnext_from=TL&videos=_lvfASalQC4If you have trouble viewing the video above, click here to watch it directly on YouTube

It is often asked whether handing out tracts, Gospel portions, and other Christian literature is effective.  It usually doesn’t seem to bring visible results and for that reason some people have abandoned it altogether.  However, I recently received the following story from our friend and co-worker Tam who is on staff with Thai Christian Students (TCS) in nearby Lopburi.  To read Tam's story in Thai, scroll to the bottom of this post.  Translated from Thai, Tam says

“Last week we handed out John’s Gospels and informational flyers about the Lopburi Youth House at various schools.  We were all very tired afterwards but praise God for his greatness that when we went to hand them out, there was one student who took a John’s Gospel home and gave it to her mother to read.  When the mom finished reading it, she called the national office for TCS in Bangkok.  She said that she was a sinner, that she wanted to become a Christian, and wanted to go to church. TCS Bangkok then called me and told me this story.  I got in touch with a local church leader for her so that she could go worship at church.

Statistics don't tell the whole story but can be helpful to get a general idea of what is going on.  Missionary Dwight Martin collects data on the Thai church and recently released the data on Thai church growth in 2009.  Here is an excerpt from his report, along with some links for more information:

"At the end of 2009 there are 339,048 Christians, which is 0.54% of the total population.  Even though this is a very small percentage, the good news is that the percentage of growth is seven times faster than the biological growth rate of the country.  The number of churches continues to grow as well.  There were 170 new churches started last year (2009).   The need is still great in Thailand.  Over 47% of the sub-districts in Thailand have no Christian presence at all. This means there are 21,814,049 (about 1/3 of the population) people who have very little opportunity to hear the Gospel Message.  Please pray that God's word will penetrate this whole nation.

I have been having conversations lately with a Thai Chinese fellow who is a real thinker.  That’s hard to find around here.  Many folks are happy to not think about (or at least not discuss) difficult or controversial issues.  Thai culture places a high value on non-confrontation so it is tough to really engage people in discussion about any issues of significance.  But not this guy.Mr. Mon and his wife own a trucking business and one of their employees is a Christian lady whom my wife disciples (she does housework, not truck driving, if you wanted to know).  One night as we were trying to get our kids into bed, I answer a call from her on my wife’s mobile phone.  “You have to come over here right now.  We’re watching the movie you lent us and he has all these questions and I don’t know the answers.  You have to come now.”  She was desperate and a bit impatient. “Well, okay” I replied, “Let me talk to my wife for a second.  We’re putting the kids to bed.. hang on...” and before I could talk to my wife, the voice on the other end of the phone said, “Okay, I’m waiting for you.  You’re coming now.  Bye.”  Twenty minutes later, after I made sure my wife had the kids under control, I was sitting down with Mr. Mon, his wife, and their Christian house helper who had called us.

I couldn’t believe my ears.  A founding member and leader of a large church in Bangkok was telling me about “The Salvation Room” (ห้องรอด) at his church.  Each Sunday, visitors are encouraged to come to a special room on the side of the sanctuary during the service and over the course of a few weeks (assuming they come back), current church members explain the Gospel to them and try to get them to say the sinner’s prayer.  I asked, “Is it effective?  Not everyone who says the sinner’s prayer really becomes a Christian, you know.”  His answer surprised me. “No, that’s not right. Eventually, they all become Christians.  We know that not everyone who prays is converted yet, but if we can get them to say the prayer, then that is the foot in the door.”  “But,” I replied, “how do you know that they will come to faith eventually?”  With a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face, this respected church leader asserted confidently, “They just do.  Saying the sinner’s prayer is what breaks Satan’s power and guarantees that they will eventually be saved.”

Several summers ago I met a young man named Tok.  Tok was a student at a local technical college and he and his friend Art were jogging by the local river where I too had gone out to run.  We got to talking and the following day the three of us, together with my friend Doug, went out for a bite to eat.  Doug and I prayed before our meal, which they had never seen before, and I mentioned spiritual things once or twice during dinner but Tok and Art didn’t seem interested.  As dinner got over, and the bill was paid, I wasn’t sure if I would see them again or not so I asked Doug to dig a couple of Gospel tracts out of his bag and I gave them to Tok – one for him and one for Art who had already left.  I told him it was about Jesus and the tract would give him some food for thought.  He should take it home and read it and let me know if he had any questions. 

In my last post, we saw that the sinner’s prayer became popular because of its supposed success rate in producing Christian converts but that the claimed successes often amount to nothing.  However, many evangelists persist on using the altar call and the sinner’s prayer, justifying their preferred methodology by claiming that, “Even if only one person became a Christian, it is all still worth it.”  Is it really? The case has been made that even if many people fall away, it is still effective and worthwhile to use the altar call and the sinner’s prayer because “at least it works for some people.”  But what if, as I have argued in a previous post, the sinner’s prayer doesn’t actually save anyone?  And if it doesn’t actually save anyone, but does do a substantial amount of damage, then why keep using it?  In the remainder of this post, I want to take a look at four negative side effects that come from using the altar call and sinner’s prayer in evangelism.

Although widely accepted as institutions of “traditional” evangelicalism, the altar call and the sinner’s prayer did not always enjoy such favor.  When first introduced in the early 19th century, these innovative practices provoked great controversy and debate.  However, as revival meetings and evangelistic rallies brought in thousands of new converts and those numbers were reported in the newspapers of the day, it became increasingly difficult to argue with success.  The large numbers of converts were pointed to as undeniable proof of God’s blessing upon these “new methods” (as they were called at the time).  Those who opposed them were labeled as “anti-revival men” who were “working against the Spirit.”  The altar call and the sinner’s prayer did not win the day because of some new theological insight but on the pragmatic basis of success.  Why would you want to oppose something that works?  People are coming to Christ, aren’t they?

The title of this article may seem like an overstatement but it is not.  Some may object, “But surely the sinner’s prayer has worked for some people. Even if many have fallen away after praying to receive Christ, not all have.”  I happily concede the point that there are many Christians who continue to walk with the Lord and grow in their faith many years after having said the sinner’s prayer.  But what I question is this, “Was it really the sinner’s prayer that converted them?”  19th century revival preacher Charles Finney, who is largely responsible for popularizing the use of the altar call and the sinner’s prayer, would probably have said yes.

Most of the Christmas evangelism that I have seen (and have participated in) here in Thailand has focused on the birth narrative of Jesus.  Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men have all had prominent parts.  However, when I helped out with a Christmas outreach at the Phrabaht Nursing College the other day, Pastor Jareun of the PhraBaht church took a different approach to the Christmas story and I think he may be onto something.

 

Instead of starting with the angel visiting Mary, Pastor Jaruen started with God creating the world.  Then he moved on to talk about Adam and Eve, the fall into sin, the wickedness of the human heart, the judgment of God, and our inability to save ourselves.  Therefore, the need for Christmas: the need for God to send a Savior to rescue us from sin.  After briefly mentioning Jesus’ birth (and entirely skipping over Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men), Pastor Jareun went on to give a couple illustrations of how we are unable to save ourselves and need a savior (bridge illustration and boat illustration).

 

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Christmas time in Thailand is filled with opportunities to share about Christ. Thai people are curious about this foreign holiday and are happy to come out to special Christmas events put on by the Christians.   This past Saturday we hosted a children Christmas event in our neighborhood, right across the street from our house in the community center.  The neighborhood committee gave their approval and said we could use their public announcement system.  However, we found out at the last minute that the speakers were busted and we were unable to let people know that anything was happening.  Pastor Jareun and the teens from PhraBaht church hauled over the big speakers from church and we got the word out as best we could.

 

When new believers disappear from church and seemingly give up the Christian faith, it is often a disillusioning and discouraging time for those who introduced them to the Gospel, and perhaps even led them in saying the sinner’s prayer together.  Great expectations and high hopes are dashed.  Why do people seem to come in and come out of the faith so easily? As part of a series of lectures on communicating the Gospel to Thai Buddhists, Thai pastor Wan Petchsongkram offers some helpful observations on the true motivations of those who seemingly become Christians.  Pastor Wan comments,“And here is another important point about Thai people becoming Christians.  Out of all the people who become Christians in 1 year, about 80% of those disappear.  Have you seen this?  People who become Christians and then disappear.  We need to understand why this is so.  I feel like this is a real problem for Christians in Thailand.  When Thai people become Christians, they do so with certain reasons and because of certain factors and they remain Christians because of those reasons and factors so long as those reasons and factors still apply.  But when those reasons are no longer there, they stop being Christians.  Because of this, when they are still Christians and we know they are Christians because these reasons are still in effect, you should jump on the opportunity to teach them, no holds barred.  If you don’t hurry up and teach them while these other reasons are still in play, then when those reasons are gone, they will stop being Christians.”

No matter where you go in East Asia, you are bound to find instant noodles.  The appeal of instant noodles is the they are quick.  You are hungry.  You don’t have time to get a real meal and you want to eat something NOW that will satisfy your hunger.  Instant noodles really aren’t that tasty of a meal but in a bid to get people to buy their brand of instant noodles, the companies who produce them make the pictures on the package look as appealing as possible.  Steaming golden noodles held between wooden chopsticks over a bowl of more steaming golden noodles, together with a multitude of lush green vegetables and savory prawns or slices of succulent pork (or some variation on that theme).  If you go by the picture on the package, this bowl of noodles is going to be a really tasty and satisfying meal.   In reality, instant noodles are somewhat rubbery and those nice looking vegetables and meat are not included.  Your stomach gets filled for a little while but that promise of a tasty satisfying meal remains unfulfilled. But if you are desperate enough for something good to eat, it is possible convince yourself that these noodles will be like that fancy picture on the label.

While the sinner’s prayer is designed to help people become Christians, here in Thailand (as in other places) it many times has the opposite effect of confirming people in a fundamentally animistic worldview.  At its core, animism is the using of religious rituals and ceremonies to manipulate the spirit world into doing what the animist wants it to do, whether that be warding off evil or inviting blessing.  Thai Buddhism is a mix of pure Buddhism and local animistic beliefs in spirits, omens, relics, sacred objects, fortune telling, astrology, sorcery, and so on.  This mix of spirit beliefs and Buddhism forms an important part of the worldview and belief system of Thai people, and it is this understanding of spiritual reality that Thai people bring to the table when they come to an evangelistic rally or hear a Gospel presentation.

Every year there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Thai people who pray to receive Christ but never become involved in a church.  Or if they do, it is only for a very short time and then they are gone.  Many people have suggested possible reasons, such as they need more follow-up or more encouragement in order to start and continue with the Christian life.  Granted, following-up new believers is important but what if a majority of these “new converts” were never converted to begin with?  What if they had received a superficial Gospel and were prematurely led to say a prayer of conversion that they didn’t understand?  Is it possible that the sinner’s prayer, which is supposed to signal conversion to the Christian faith, actually fails to challenge the animistic worldview of Thai people?  What if instead of helping them find new life in Christ, it confirms them in their basically animistic worldview, but merely adds a temporary Christian veneer on the top of their existing beliefs.

From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider’s View of Buddhism & Christianity, by Steve Cioccolanti (Sweet Life International, 2007, 240pp.)

 

—reviewed by Larry Dinkins You wouldn’t expect a pastor of an International Church in Melbourne, Australia with a name like “Cioccolanti” (Italian for “chocolate”) to claim an inside track to the mind and worldview of Buddhists. However, his claim to an insider’s view of Buddhism is substantiated by his Thai upbringing and exposure to a very religiously diverse extended family. Besides his Thai Buddhist roots, Steve has added to that a broad education in America and Europe which allows him to address Buddhist issues from both an oriental and occidental viewpoint.

Despite 180 years of Protestant missions in Thailand, there are still relatively few churches and few Christians (less than 1% of the population).   Missionaries are still needed but we are just temporary catalysts in helping the Thai church attain to sufficient numbers and maturity so that missionaries won’t be needed.  And in many places, the LORD is raising up quality mature Thai believers preaching the Gospel of Christ.  I wanted to share a video of one such believer, my friend Off who is on staff with Thai Christian Students (TCS).  TCS is part of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).

 

The following video was taken this past August during an open air evangelism event at the market next to the Tesco Lotus mall in Lopburi, Central Thailand.  There were songs, skits, games, and more direct Gospel presentations.  Lots of tracts and nearly 500 Gospels of John were handed out.  The goal of this kind of evangelism is not to get people to decide for Christ on the spot, and as such there were no altar calls or decision cards.  The goal is to sow seeds and to get people thinking about spiritual realities that they may not have considered before, starting from what people already believe and moving them towards considering the claims of the Bible.

 

The whole presentation is about 15 minutes but I had to break it up into two segments in order to put it onto YouTube.  So, watch Part 1 and then move on to Part 2, which is the continuation of Off’s message.  If you’re interested to learn more about what Off and the other folks from Thai Christian Students in Central Thailand are up to, please visit their blog at http://tcscentralthailand.wordpress.com

 

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If you have trouble viewing the above embedded videos, click here to watch directly on YouTube