Ya know in the Old Testament where it says people worshipped big, golden statues….well that's here and now in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
I had known there were people who worshipped these golden statues in other parts of the world but for some reason it didn't feel real to me before. I understood it better as something that happened hundreds of years ago. Back home people may worship other gods, but there aren't big golden statues all over the place. But here in Cambodia, about all you see riding down the road are huge temples and big golden statues. It does something totally different in my spirit being here and seeing it for myself. I am living in the Old Testament!
I got these pictures off the internet but they are from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and they look exactly like what I see everywhere here!
The question is, have I been believing in the God of the Old Testament?
For the first week in Thailand I thought we weren't allowed to tell people about Jesus. I quickly learned that we could tell them about Christ, but that was not the focus of the ministry we were working with. The ministry wanted us to share Jesus by our LOVE and not necessarily by preaching the gospel.
But here in Cambodia, I found myself thinking "I miss Central America where I could go up to random people on the street, tell them about Jesus, and pray for them."
Why did that stop in Central America?
This month we are teaching English classes at a church, and I absolutely LOVE those kids! Some are believers, while others are not, but we have the freedom to share Christ with them. Many of their parents are Buddhist, and some do not like the idea of their kids learning English in a church. One of the boys' parents even made him stop coming to church because they don't want him to be a Christian. I love having the opportunity to speak truth and life into their lives!
But what about the beggar on the street?
There was a missionary who spoke at church last Sunday, and he was sharing stories in the Bible where God did crazy awesome things because people had faith that He would show up. He asked the congregration, "what do you do when you see a crippled beggar on the street? Do you believe your God can heal him?"
I felt the Lord asking me that same question….because for some reason I had not been praying for these crippled beggars on the street. Maybe I have silently to myself, but not out loud in front of them. The question is why? Don't I believe the God that heals people in Central America is the same God that can heal people in Asia? Of course I do, but why haven't I been operating in that faith?
As silly as it sounds, I was thinking in my head that these people don't believe in Jesus so they will not want me to pray for them.
But the better question is why wouldn't I go up to these beggars on the street and pray for them to be healed? These are the people that are deceived and lost and need to see the power of the one true God! They need to see His love and feel His presence. The best part is that I don't even care if they cannot understand one word that I pray over them. God's presence is not limited by a language barrier!
I am continuing to learn more about what it means to share Jesus with people. The first three months in Central America were about preaching the gospel with words. In Thailand we shared the gospel with actions and love.
But I am learning that it takes BOTH. I can talk to someone about Jesus all day long, but if the person doesn't know that I love them then there is a good chance they won't receive anything I say.
If I smiled and gave $10 to every beggar I passed on the street but never mentioned the name of Jesus then that person would still be lost.
When you see someone on the street no matter where you live, don't hesitiate to show Jesus to them. Don't let the fear of "well, i don't know if they will want me to pray for them…they may get offended…they may not believe in Jesus" stop you! That never stopped Jesus or His disciples! We can't be afraid to be Jesus to everyone we meet, and the Holy Spirit will show you how that looks for each person!
