When I walked into Malaysia, I knew nothing of the culture, the people.
“He fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it;they know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand.” -Isaiah 44:15;19
What I saw stopped me in my tracks.
What I heard chilled me to the core.
What I felt, tore my heart.
Let me take you there…
I laid on the tile floor because it was the only place I could find that was cold. My
clothes stuck to my body due to the unending sweat that constantly poured out of me. Denise sat across from me, and we were debating a plot of action. For days we have endured the endless ringing of bells from this Hindu temple near by and after a while it makes a person lose their sanity. “A trumpet or a blow horn?” I asked. “If we can just get on the other side of that wall and let loose the blow horn for about 20 minutes straight, maybe they’ll get the idea of how obnoxious that ringing is!”�With some regret, we chose to turn the other cheek and pray for more sanity. I later heard that the constant ringing of bells were intended to awaken the gods. I thought to myself how thankful I am that my God never sleeps and is always listening.
some food. All of a sudden this Muslim Mosque burst out in a chanting prayer that rang over the city. Chills ran up and down my spine and I stopped in my tracks. I heard of the Call to Prayer that the Muslims repeat 5 times a day, but standing outside of this mosque hearing it take place right before me was nothing less than eerie. I turned to AnnieRose and said, “It literally sounds like the voice of Satan speaking.” We immediately started to pray. I began singing the names of Jesus over and over.
“They are every where!” We were squeezed into a taxi on our way to our ministry location. I kept noting the many shrines lining the roads. These massive caves were carved into the base of the mountains that held oversized idols dedicated to Buddah and their ancestors. The roadside shrines were lit with candles and burning incenses. People kneeled in front of them as to pay their tributes. It reminded me of all the idol worshipping in the Old Testament. But it wasn’t just then, it is now! And it’s in many forms.
�”I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the gods I will sing your praise.”� Ps. 138:1
Grasping the Malaysian culture was hard because there were so many cultures, languages, and religions intertwined.
Malaysia is made up of the Chinese people who believe in Buddhism, the Malay people who are Muslim, and the Indian people who are Hindu. They have all managed to coexist together into a culture that tolerates and respects the others’ beliefs. Many of them identify themselves with these specific religions because it’s a part of their family heritage, it makes up their identity. They think that all Americans are Christians, and well, most Americans will identify with that even if they’re not. So for a Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim were to follow Jesus, they release their identity, they are disowned from their families, but the end result is a heart fully identified by Christ. I’ve seen it, and its powerful!
