Fear. Fear is what drives this nation and its people. They are afraid of the spirits they believe in that are not loving or kind but rather are vengeful, demanding, hard. They are afraid of the consequences of their sin-believing karma will catch up with them later in life or in a life to come when they will have to pay for everything bad they’ve done. They fear social persecution from a majority Buddhist nation that condemns anyone who searches for answers in Christian beliefs. And fear is what Christians bringing the light into the nation have to combat. The fear that the country’s leadership and law enforcement will feel threatened by the light they bring and will force them to leave the country; that the businesses they’ve spent years establishing as a cover will be shut down; that the relationships they have invested so much time and energy in around their communities will be broken without another opportunity to speak truth.
It’s a powerful weapon that Satan has here: fear. It blinds those who don’t yet know about Jesus so that they can’t see how He is everything they need. They can’t see how Jesus is loving and He is kind; how he is forgiving and compassionate. They can’t see how, even though it’s true that they are sinful and corrupt, their sins can be forgiven instead of coming back to haunt them. This is how the devil has used fear to control the local people. He’s even got such a strong weapon with this fear that it often causes damage to believers who are part of the fight here. I know that God has given me spiritual armor to protect myself from his schemes and attacks (Ephesians 6), but if I forget at any moment to put on the belt of truth or the breastplate of righteousness, or the shoes of the gospel of peace, or the shield of faith, or the helmet of salvation, or the sword of the Spirit, then he deceives me with his lies and I find myself being afraid too. Afraid of saying something that will expose the contacts we are making here and cause them to be kicked out of the country. Afraid of someone seeing the World Race logo on my computer and discovering that I am a missionary and calling the police. Afraid of an email or picture or facebook status that will incriminate me or someone else here working for the kingdom. Fear also attacks me in other ways when I forget about my spiritual armor. Sometimes I’m afraid of fear itself, or what it will make me do. We’ve had to be careful what we say and who it’s okay to be completely honest with, and I’ve found myself in several situations when someone will ask me a question about why I’m here or what my team is doing and my answer completely avoids any semblance of the truth that we are missionaries trying to bring non-believers to Jesus and build relationships that will allow many many more people to come to this country and do the same thing. In those moments I find myself afraid of the consequences of not shouting from the rooftops that I love Jesus and want everyone else to know Him too. In Luke 12:9 Jesus says that “the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” I am able to speak truthfully here about my beliefs and the fact that I am a Christian. Because I am a foreigner, I am given a right that the local people do not all have in that way. But I am not allowed to try to convince anyone else to be a Christian; I am not allowed to carry out my “mission” in the eyes of the government or public. The devil has used the fine line between these concepts to instill fear in me at times and sometimes I have to stop and remember who I am in Christ before answering those questions that drip with all sorts of implications.
At times I am overwhelmed with a mixture of gratitude that I grew up in a country where I was free to worship and serve my God publicly, and a sickening realization that so many Christians, including myself, are not taking full advantage of that freedom to shout from the rooftops what Jesus has done in their lives and how He has so much love that He wants to share with everyone who will accept it. I spoke with a man this week who is working to build the kingdom here, and he shared with me the piercing lament that it takes a culture of persecution against Christians to truly bring the Christian body to a point of such unity that believers of all backgrounds (cultural and denominational) work together to further the kingdom without fighting, bickering, or dissention. He explained that the locals know they are Christians, and when they see the foreign believers working together in peace, supporting each other, sacrificing for each other, and showing such love to each other, it serves as a bold testimony of the power that Jesus has in their lives. Without breaking any government regulations at all about evangelizing (at least in this capacity), these Christians are having a strong impact on the communities here.
This place is leaving its mark on me, and for that I am eternally grateful. I am reminded never to be lax in taking up my spiritual armor. I have become aware of the need for boldness in sharing my identity as God’s daughter in ALL circumstances, and not to let fear determine my declaration of my allegiance to Him. And I feel the urgency of speaking truth about Jesus to my friends, my co-workers, strangers I bump into at the store, acquaintances in my community, everyone! We have been tremendously blessed to share in the freedoms we have in the U.S., and when we are entrusted with much, we are expected to invest it wisely. I am praying for all of you at home and trusting in the Lord’s timing and goodness. Blessings in Christ,
