“Reaching the Unreached – Khon Muang UPG Part 2” -
Day 7 of Prayer, Dec 1, 2018
Today is Day 7 of our
Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for Northern
Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached people groups
in and around Northern Thailand. Thank you for joining us for this great time
of seeking the face of God on behalf of millions who have never heard the
message of our Lord Jesus.
We live in a place in God’s world that is filled
with rich cultural beauty and heritage. It is a place where dozens and dozens
of very different unreached people groups live and exist together in relatively
good harmony. These people groups cross “geo-polical” boundaries and live in
Thailand, modern day Myanmar (formerly named Burma), China, Laos, and some in
Vietnam. The largest of these unreached people groups living in Thailand are
the Khon Muang or better known as the Northern Thai. There are many names that
people have given to this unreached people group in the past. Other names they
have been given are Tai Yuan, Lanna, Yonok, Payap, Tai Wang, and Tai Nya just
to name a few. It is estimated that there are 33,000 from this unreached people
group (UPG ) living in the country of Laos but the majority of this UPG – some
7,466,000 – live in Northern Thailand. The heart of this UPG is right here in
the city of Chiang Rai where my family lives. Others believe that there are
still thousands living in Myanmar, Vietnam and in China but the research is
still incomplete.
It has been my opinion for many years now that this
unreached people group of the Khon Muang is one of the least reached and most overlooked,
yet one of the most strategic people groups in Southeast Asia. This people
group has the influence, the respect, and the potential to reach out and become
great fishers of men for the cause of Christ but they must be won to Jesus
first and then discipled and taught how to follow the Lord and become the
fishers of men God desires for them to become.
Hundreds of years ago the Northern Part of Thailand
was not incorporated into the kingdom of Thailand that we know today. No. The
Northern part of Thailand along with parts of Burma, parts of Laos, Southwest
China, and parts of Vietnam were ruled under a Kingdom know as the Lanna
Kingdom. The founder of this Kingdom – King Meingrai – was the leader of this
people group called the Khon Muang people. A twenty minute drive from my home will
put you at the place where a moment and stature of King Meingrai has been
erected. The spirit of King Meingrai is believed to still reside here and
prayers of blessing are made at this site every single day by the Khon Muang
people who still do not know about Jesus.
This is a picture taken of the statue of the
founder of this great kingdom of times past. The Lanna people were the movers
and the shakers of times past in and around Northern Thailand and the reality
is that today they are still the movers and the shakers in Northern Thailand
making up most of the population. Yet, less than ½ of 1 percent of this UPG know Jesus as their personal Savior. But God
is at work. NTIM has seen a great move of God among these people and we want to
continue to join God in reaching this unreached people group for Jesus and
helping equip them to reach many other people groups in this part of God’s
World for the glory of God. Would you join us in this great effort as we seek
to join God in what He is doing and wants to do in and through the Khon Muang UPG?
Prayer Example:
“Lord, we come before your throne of grace, recognizing the reality that no one
can come to You unless You draw them. When we hear of how very few people in
this people group know You and we hear of their background of influence in the
past, our heart senses that You may have a very special plan for using the Khon
Muang people to reach others. We plead for their salvation and for You to draw
them to Yourself. We also pray that they would see Your heart and Your desire
to use them to reach other people groups for the sake of the gospel. We pray
for you to bless and strengthen the outreach efforts of NTIM and other organizations
that are working everyday to reach these people for You. We pray that you would
provide them with the resources they need in finances, in personnel, and in training
so that their lives can be changed and your kingdom can be done on earth as it
is in heaven. We pray this in Jesus name and for His glory. Amen.”
Today is Day 6 of our
Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for Northern
Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached people groups
in and around Northern Thailand. Thank you for joining us for this great time
of seeking the face of God on behalf of millions who have never heard the
message of our Lord Jesus.
DAY 6 - November 29, 2018 - "Reaching The Unreached – Muang UPG
– Part 1”
One of the great joys
that God has graciously allowed me to experience on a regular basis is the joy
of seeing 1st generation believers grow in their relationship with God and
become true fishers of men and mentors for other 1st generation believers.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
As I write this update,
I am sitting at my desk thinking about what goes on outside my office, every
single week, not 10 yards from the door of my office. The picture above is a
picture of something I see going on every single week rain or shine. You may
see one thing but let me tell you what I see. I see one of my awesome staff –
Ja (who has served in partnership with us for over 15 years and who is the
first person in her entire family to become a Christian, and who is from one of
the least reached unreached people group in the world called the Muang or more
popularly known as the Northern Thai) disciplining, teaching the Bible, praying
with, encouraging, counseling, mentoring, and investing her life into the life
of a university student named Nice.
God has allowed NTIM to
be a part of helping not only reach 1st generation believers, but
also to help equip them to reach and mentor others. I don’t know what you
think, but I really think that makes the heart of God smile.
So that you will know how to better pray for us,
let me share with you a little about this 1st generation mentor
named Ja. Ja gave her heart to Jesus as a university student and shortly
thereafter came on staff at our English language school as our accountant. We
began discipling Ja and helping her know how to grow in her relationship with
the Lord 15 years ago when she was 24. She deeply loves the Lord and wants to
serve Him with all her heart.
Ja serves God in several different
roles. She serves as one of our key mentors for new believers. She also serves
as our "minister of finances" at Baan Athitaan Church. She serves as
one of our staff at Grace Language School where she helps with any legal
paperwork for the school and manages all the finances for the school as well as
helps teach English to Children on Saturdays. She also serves as of our staff
at Channel of Blessing Foundation which for all practical purposes is
NTIM-Thailand. Here she serves both as a board member as well as our treasurer
and accountant.
Today we would ask that you join us in praying for
Ja and for NTIM’s work among the unreached people group of the Muang. We have
many Christmas outreach events coming up targeting this specific people group
coming up very soon. Tomorrow I will share more details about this very
strategic unreached people group. But for now, let us join together in prayer
for this 3rd largest unreached people group in Thailand called
the Muang UPG.
Prayer Example:
“Lord, thank you for loving us enough to send someone into our lives to tell us
about the gospel. We thank you for loving Ja enough to send someone into her
life to tell her about the gospel. We thank you for loving others enough to
send people like Ja into the lives of others to tell them about the gospel. We
want to take this moment and ask you to bless Ja in a very special way. Help
her to be salt and light in all that she does. We ask that you would be pleased
to use her to help reach her family, her friends, her neighbors, her own people
group, and even other people groups. Thank you for her work with NTIM and how
she faithfully serves you each and every day. We pray that you would give her
great love and wisdom as she pours her life into discipling young university
students there in Northern Thailand. We
pray this in Jesus name.”
Today is Day 5 of our
Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for Northern
Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached people groups
in and around Northern Thailand. Thank you for joining us for this great time
of seeking the face of God on behalf of millions who have never heard the
message of our Lord Jesus.
DAY 5 - November 28, 2018 - "Penetrating Thailand’s Darkness”
God wants to use
ordinary people like you and me in the process of building bridges to the
hearts of people that God can use to draw them to Himself. Jesus said, “You are
the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people
light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
If we are serious about
following Jesus and becoming fishers of men, we must consider the concept of
preparing for the harvest through being the salt and light of Jesus. As any
farmer knows, if we want a harvest, we must do the hard work of preparing the soil
and getting the soil ready for the seed to be planted. A farmer can have the
best seeds in the world but if the soil is not ready, the seeds will not
produce anything.
I am convinced that one of the most overlooked yet
critical aspects of evangelism among people who do not know Jesus is the whole
process of changing “attitudes” of resistance to Christianity and building
bridges of friendship, and trust on a foundation of integrity. This can be done through a number of “platforms”
and “organizations” that reflect the love and light of Jesus and one of NTIM’s
most influential and successful ways of doing this has been through the
platform of a legitimate English language school that isn’t a “front for
evangelism” at all but teaches English with integrity and is registered with
the Thai government through the Ministry of Education of Thailand.
Yet the byproduct of
teaching English with integrity and as the salt and light of Jesus is trust,
friendship, blessing, and an opportunity to speak into the lives of lost
people. This is the “part of evangelism” that I most often equate with “plowing
the ground” and “preparing the soil.” The soil must be prepared if we are to
reach the lost.
God used the Lighthouse
Language School in the past when we first moved up to Chiangrai and began to
implement “Operation Chiangrai” as a part of the IMB family.
But sometimes God
has bigger and better things in mind that tend to flourish when God’s people
are given the freedom to follow the dreams and visions God has put in their
hearts and are empowered to do what God has put in their hearts to be done and
all of it to be done with the single focus of honing God by being obedient to
His calling to advance His kingdom. We are so thankful for those good
beginnings.
But since 2005, God has
brought NTIM and Grace Language School into existence and is using them in much
greater ways that we ever thought possible. Please pray for NTIM’s Grace Language
School and the relationships that the field workers intentionally develop with
their students who do not know our great Savior. Pray that these “M” teachers
will continue to intentionally witness and share the love and message of Jesus
with their students.
Over the years God has
blessed us with some awesome Western partners who teach English well and God is
continuing to provide us with some awesome Western partners who truly want to
join God in making disciples of some of the least reached people in our world.
Today we want to ask you to pray for each of our Western teachers by name who
currently serve Christ through teaching English at Grace Language School and
are what we call “Front Line Workers.” Please pray for God’s blessings on the
following teachers at Grace Language School: Keith, Taran, Glen, Alexa, Nicole,
Michael, Hope, Jodie, Derek, Jodi, and Brian.
Pray that we would be
unified and very intentional about all that we do and that we would constantly
join God in what He is doing in the lives of our students and be watchful for
those open doors to naturally be a witness for Jesus.
Prayer
Example: “Lord, you have told us to be salt and light. We
want to thank you for Grace Language School and those that serve as your salt
and light to the nations. We ask that you might bless these servants of yours
in all that they say and do so that the lost in Northern Thailand might be drawn
to you and be open to the good seed of the gospel. We ask that you would send
more of your people into the fields to teach at Grace Language School so that more
of the unreached peoples living in Northern Thailand may have a chance to taste
and see your goodness and glorify your great name. Please sustain, strengthen,
and encourage the “M” Teachers that have moved from the USA and Canada to reach
the Thai people. Help them be good reflections of the love and light of our
Savior. Help them to sow the seeds of evangelism widely and faithfully through
their relationships and please provide them with the needed financial resources
to keep them serving and thriving on the field. We pray this in the name of
Jesus.”
Today is Day 4 of our
Season of Prayer of getting to know and then actively praying for
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached
people groups in and around Northern Thailand. Please join us and invite your
friends to join us for this great time of seeking the face of God on behalf of
millions who have never heard the message of our Lord Jesus.
DAY 4 - November 27, 2018 - "Understanding Thailand’s Diversity
- Home to Over 114 Different Ethnic People Groups.”
When
most people think of the country of Thailand, they mistakenly think that the
Thai people are all from one specific people group where everyone speaks the central
Thai language in their homes. However, that simply and very clearly is not the
case. Yes, most citizens of Thailand can speak Central Thai because all
education in Thailand is done in the Central Thai language but ethnically, linguistically,
and culturally, Thailand is made up of 114 different people groups and 80 of
these people groups are considered unreached people groups (upgs). It is true
that the Central Thai are the largest people group in Thailand with a population
of around 25,500,000 (if you include the numbers for the Thai-Chinese) according
to Joshua Project statistics. However, what that also means is that out of the
69,000,000 people in Thailand, 39% are from the Central Thai people group and 61%
are from a different ethnic group than the Central Thai group. What that means
is that 61% of the Thai people speak a different language in their homes with
their families and close friends than they do when they are in public or in
school.
We
live in the far Northern part of Thailand where there are dozens and dozens of
different ethnic groups living here, some of them from neighboring countries as
close as a 45 minute drive from our home. I can be at the border of Laos and
the border of Myanmar (former Burma) in less than 45 minutes. I can be at the
border of China in less than 6 hours by car. We truly are strategically located
in a place with a great diversity of unreached people groups living all around
us. Our church, Baan Athitaan Church, is a true community church made up of
over 23 different people groups that meet together for worship every Sunday
morning.
Please take a look at the map of “Progress of the
Gospel by People Group.” What I want you to notice is where all of the red is
located. The red areas are the areas of the world that are home to the least
reached people groups of the world. Most of them are in North Africa, the
Middle East, South Asia, and South East Asia. Thailand is right in the heart of
South East Asia and is strategically located and has the potential to have a
strong influence for Christ on hundreds of people groups in this part of God’s
world yet we much reach a good portion of the Thai people first in order for
this to happen.
Today of the 69 million people who call “Thailand”
their home country, less that 1% truly know Jesus as their personal Savior.
Would you please pray that God would burden the hearts of God’s people all over
the world to pray fervently, to give generously (especially
during the Christmas season), and to go intentionally (on a short term
or even better a long term mission trip) and partner with us here at NTIM
to reach the nations for Jesus by “making disciples of all the nations.”
Prayer
Example: “Heavenly Father, we thank you for the rich
diversity of people groups in Thailand. We also thank you for planting a
community church right in the heart of Northern Thailand to help facilitate
evangelism and discipleship in that part of your world. We ask You to be
pleased to expand the impact of NTIM and Baan Athitaan Church to these various
unreached peoples and to give NTIM an opportunity to be a vessel that You are
pleased to use to reach many of the unreached ethnic people groups in this part
of your world. We pray that You would burden the hearts of Your people all over
the world to pray fervently, to give generously, and to go
intentionally to where Your Message is needed most. We pray this in the
name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Today
is Day 3 of our Season of Prayer and Spiritual Adventure of getting to
know and then actively praying for Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and
all of the various unreached people groups in and around Northern Thailand.
One of my favorite passages is found in the book
of Habakkuk. Listen to what God’s Word says in chapter 1, verse 5. “Look among
the Nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in
your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5
We want to testify of the truth of Habakkuk 1:5 as
it relates to Northern Thailand. God is doing some amazing
things in our day in this country we call Thailand. Many of the former
missionaries in Thailand saw very few people come to know Christ even though
they worked very hard for the glory of God, but let me say very clearly and for
the Glory of God THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE SEEING. We have seen hundreds
of Thai people give their heart to Jesus in the last 19 years we have lived
here. Not just Thai people, but we have also seen dozens of Chinese, Laotians,
and Burmese give their hearts to Jesus as well.
We studied the Central Thai language in Bangkok
for the first 2 years in Thailand and then moved to the city of Chiang Rai in
the far northern part of Thailand to begin new work among some of the least
reached people groups in our world today and we have lived in Chiang Rai now for
17 years.
Before we first moved up to Chiang Rai, we sensed
God wanted us to begin His work planting an urban based purpose driven model
community church by opening an English language school that started as the
Lighthouse Language Center. We called our vision “OPERATION CHIANG RAI.”
Our
prayer warriors were praying, God was listening to those prayers, and we on
the field were working hard to rent and renovate a building, get all the right
paperwork in order and submitted to the government and with the blessing of God,
we officially began teaching English at the Lighthouse Language Center on
September 17, 2001.
The Lighthouse Language Center was the beginning of what has
now become Grace Language School (GLS) which is now managed and lead by NTIM’s
sister foundation in Thailand called Channel of Blessing Foundation all for the
glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
After two years of living in Chiang Rai and utilizing
the platform of the Lighthouse Language Center, and having a great team of
American teachers and Thai nationals faithfully teaching English and reaching
out into the community and sharing the love of Jesus, and people all over the
world praying for God to move in the hearts of our students, we finally saw the
first two Thai people – Peat and Mint - give their hearts to Jesus through our
ministry during one of our first Christmas celebrations in Chiang Rai in 2003.
Here is a picture that was taken on the day that both Peat and Mint gave their
hearts to Jesus. That was for all practical purposes, the beginnings of what we
now call Baan Athitaan Church. At that time we had no idea just how significant
the celebrations and evangelistic efforts at Christmas would be to God’s work
here in Thailand.
What
a great day that was. The angels in heaven rejoiced and so did all of us who
were working the fields for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
Today Peat in married and now in her 30s and works as an English teacher in a
local school. But on the day she gave her heart to Jesus, on that day, Peat was
a teenager and a student at the Lighthouse Language Center and became the first
person in her entire family from one of the least reached people groups in our
world today to become a Christian. That was 15 years ago. There are two
pictures below. The first is a picture of one of our ways we used English and
reached out into our communities. This was in November 2001 and the teenage
girl with the glasses is Peat and the two Western looking girls sitting and talking
and playing games with her are our two daughters Jessica and Elizabeth. Oh,
what good memories we have. The second picture below is a picture of Baan
Athitaan Church’s first baptism. This baptism has a special meaning to us for
many reasons: one because it was our first baptism of our new church plant with Peat and Mint in it, but
also because our son Joshua was also baptized on that day in the Mae Gok River
in Chiang Rai, Thailand just minutes from where we live today.
Since that beginning move of God in 2003, we have
seen many hundreds of Thai people give their hearts to Jesus and most of them
are like Peat, from one of the least reached people groups in our world today –
the Khon Muang UPG – and also the first person in her entire family to become
followers of Jesus. Think about that for a moment. Never, ever, ever had their ever
been a Christian witness as a family member in Peat’s family line… not even a great, great, great, great,
great grandfather.. no, none. But GOD IS WORKING. Now Peat is a bright shining
light for Jesus and God has truly changed her life and I am also happy to say
that she faithfully shares the love and light of Christ wherever she goes.
We want you to get a glimpse of one aspect of God’s
working and that is God has opened this super highway to build bridges to the hearts
of Thai people through the teaching of English and pulling that fruit of
evangelistic and intentional efforts into a body of believers now called Baan
Athitaan Church. We are a church that is very diverse with over 2 dozen different people
groups represented. We are a church that is truly full of people who are first generation
Christians. Many of them the first person in their entire families to know
Jesus as their personal Savior. As a matter of fact, we have 6 full time Thai staff
and all 6 of them are first generation believers representing 4 very different
unreached people groups.
We have truly seen God moving here in Northern
Thailand. We have also included a link for you to watch a short baptism of a
dear friend we know as Pii Pete who was baptized several years ago so that you
can get a glimpse of what God is doing. Pii Pete is also a first generation
believer and the first in his entire family to receive believer’s baptism and
God has now sent Pii Pete to another province with his work and he is learning
what it means to walk with God and to be a fisher of men. The link is found at:
As I am writing this prayer update, I am sitting
in my office listening to the sounds of laughing, singing, and lots of fun from
a special camp we have going on for young people. We are calling it “Love Seeds
3 Youth Camp.” Including the staff, university students, and teenagers, we have
somewhere about 40 young people in this camp. Most are followers of Jesus but
some are still seeking and have not made that decision to personally follow
Jesus. Pray for us. God is at work and we are busy fishing for men, for women,
for young people, and for children. We are trying to be about our Father’s
business.
God is truly working here in Northern Thailand.
Would you pray for God to continue to move in this part of God’s world and that
these first generation believers would follow Jesus and become great fishers of
men to their families, friends, neighbors and even be willing to take the
gospel to neighboring countries. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you
fishers of men.” Matt 4:19
Prayer
Example:“Oh, Lord of Heaven and earth, we sense that you
are moving in
Northern Thailand. We want to ask that you would be pleased to
use these new first generation believers and help them to become good followers
and disciples. We ask that you would help them to grow in their love for you
and reach out to their families, friends, and villages and even go into other
neighboring countries in this part of Your world with the love and message of
Jesus. We pray that you would continue to use Grace Language School and the
teaching of English to reach this new generation of young people. We also thank
you for the community church You have established in Baan Athitaan Church and
ask that you would use them this Christmas season to take the message of our
Savior to thousands who have never heard. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.”
God Uses Ordinary People To Accomplish His Work – Day 2 – November 25, 2018
Today is Day 2 of our
30 Day Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached
people groups in and around Northern Thailand. Please join us and invite your
friends to join us for this great time of seeking the face of God on behalf of
millions who have never heard the message of our Lord Jesus.
Henry
Blackaby, the author of the book Experiencing God, is known for helping
the Western Church understand the truth that when God is about to do something
extra ordinary, He looks to see if He can find some ordinary person whose heart
belongs to God and who will be obedient and do the thing God wants to be done.
We see this when we look at the life of Abraham, or the life of Noah, or the
life of Moses, and the lives of many men and women God used in the Bible.
God’s Word says, “For the eyes of the Lord move to
and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is
completely His....” 2 Chronicles 16:9.
When
God finds someone who is willing to do what God wants to get done, God extends
an invitation to that person to join Him in what God is doing. I will be the
first to tell you that I do not think of myself as anything special or having
anything special to give God. But for whatever reason, I believe that God
extended a special invitation to me (Michael Johnson) and my family some 21
years ago while I was on a business trip to Thailand for Sharp Manufacturing
Company of America. I am an ordinary guy from Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the USA
and do not have anything special about me except that I have given my heart to
Jesus and been touched by an extra ordinary God and am willing to be used for
God’s purposes. I was only in Thailand for a few days on that business trip
some 21 years ago, but I was in Thailand long enough to realize that the
message of Jesus was not reaching most Thai people.
On that short business trip, I did not meet one
Christian. I did not see one church. I did not see any evidence that the Thai
people had a chance to hear the most important story of Jesus ever told. That
realization broke my heart and God began to speak to my heart about joining God
in bringing this message of hope to the Thai people. Shortly after that trip, following
many confirmations that God was leading us to move to Thailand and serve the
Thai people, our family resigned from our cushy
jobs, sold our house, cars, etc. and boarded a plane bound for
Thailand. We landed in Thailand on January 13, 1999 and have served the Lord
here in Thailand since that time without wavering. Here is a picture of our
family before we left for the field while we were at the missionary learning
center in Virginia.
God
truly wants to use ordinary people like you and me, but we must be willing to
make our lives available for Him to use them. God isn’t interested in us coming
up with some great thing we want to do for God. No, God is more interested in
us being willing to embrace the great plans He already has for our lives. It
reminds me of when Isaiah said to the Lord, “Here I am Lord, Send me.” In other
words, “Lord, if you want me to go, I am willing. Whatever you want from my
life, I am willing to do that because I love you and because I recognize that
your plans are far better than my plans.”
Prayer
Example: “Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for placing a
little of your love for the various Thai people groups in the hearts of the
Johnson family. Please continue to lead them and guide them as they seek to
lead the work of NTIM on the field. Thank you for the way you have used them to
build bridges to the hearts of Thai people that have already led to hundreds of
people becoming the first persons in their families to follow Jesus. Help them
to understand your plans for reaching these nations – these unreached people
groups - in and around Northern Thailand. We ask you to help them to follow
your plans and to encourage others to join you in what you want to do through
NTIM in the days ahead. We also pray that you would be pleased to call out
others to go and serve You through NTIM. We pray that you would lead some of
your people to become financial partners investing in what you are doing in
Thailand through NTIM. The fields are ripe for the harvest but the laborers are
truly few. Please raise up others to go and join you in what you are doing in
and through NTIM and their partners. We pray this in the name of our Lord
Jesus. Amen.”
Please Join Us and INVITE YOUR FRIENDS
to join us in…………30 Days of Prayer for the unreached in
and around Northern Thailand.
Pray with Insight for some of the
Least Reached Peoples in Southeast Asia and for God’s Work through NTIM and its
partners – Beginning November 24 to December 23
“Ask
of Me, and I Will Surely Give You the Nations…..” Psalm 2:8
DAY 1 –
November 24 – “God’s Heart For the Nations.”
This past Thursday
was Thanksgiving in my home country of the United States and we too, living in
Northern Thailand, celebrated God’s goodness as a church family. This church
began in our home in Chiangrai a little over 17 years ago shortly after we
moved from Bangkok to Chaingrai. Our vision was to create an English language platform that could be used of God to reach hundreds and thousands of some of the least reached peoples in our world today and to use that platform to gather the fruit of evangelism into a purpose driven type church that would be a blending of the various Thai people groups and a blending of internationals all working together to glorify God and advance His Kingdom in Southeast Asia. God has blessed this work greatly and love worshiping around the throng of grace with dozens of 1st generation believers from some of the least reached people groups in our world today. Well this past Thursday about 50 to 60
people gathered together as a part of Baan Athitaan Community Church and had a
warm celebration of our Great God thanking Him for His goodness. Here is a video clip that Pii Gahn put
together of our time.
Today, as I write
this first prayer update for this Season of Prayer, we want to ask you
to join us in a Season Of Prayer for God’s Work here. We are asking that you
would join us each day and read our updates and join us in seeking the throne
of God on our behalf. In each of these updates we will share with you some
aspect of how God is using Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and its
partners to engage some of the least reached people groups in and around
Northern Thailand. We invite you to ask your friends and any small group you
are a part of to join us for this great time of seeking the face of God on
behalf of the millions and millions of people who have never heard the message
of Jesus. In this first prayer update, we want to begin with GOD and with God’s
heart for the nations.
"It all
Begins With God and With God's Heart For The Nations." Day 1 – November 24,
2018
IT ALL BEGINS WITH
GOD …..
AND HIS HEART FOR THE NATIONS
Throughout
the Old and New Testaments, we find a consistent thought pattern that
communicates the message that God loves all of the peoples in every part of
God’s world. We also find passages like Eccl 3:11 that says, “He (God) has set
eternity in their hearts (hearts of humans everywhere)…” God truly has placed
in the heart of every man, woman, and child, in every place on the earth a
desire to know the true and living God. But not everyone in God’s world has
heard this great message.
When we look very clearly in the original Greek at
the great commission as seen in Matthew 28:19 we find that the great commission
has a specific target audience that is on God’s heart and mind that need to be
engaged, and specifically that is the “unreached people groups” of the world.
Jesus said to go and make disciples of “all the nations.” All the nations is
from the Greek “Panta Ta Ethne” and “ethne” is the Greek Word where we get our
English word “ethnic” and for all practical purpose, what our Lord Jesus was saying
was “Go and make disciples of all the unreached people groups (UPGs) of the
world.” Jesus wasn’t thinking in terms of geo-political countries, no, He was
thinking in terms of ethnic and linguistic people groups. You see, the great
commission is all about God and His heart for the unreached peoples of the
world.
My
family responded to that commission 21 years ago after I took a business trip to Thailand. I will share a little of our story as we go through these prayer updates but what we want you to know today is that we have lived the last 19 years in the heart of Southeast Asia where
millions of people have never heard the message of Jesus and have been trapped
in thought patterns and ancient traditions that have kept them from the light
of the gospel for thousands of years. This breaks God's Heart and it breaks our hearts even today. According to Joshua Project today there
are over 114 different people groups with their own disctinct language and
cultural background. Of those 114 people groups, there are 80 groups that are
classified as unreached people groups meaning that less than 2 percent of their
people group population are evangelical Christians. The whole country of
Thailand has about 69 million people and 99 out of every 100 Thai people are
lost with no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Lost… you just can’t get
more lost than 99%. That is where you and I come in. God has commissioned us to
reach and make disciples from all of these unreached peoples.
Your heart and your prayers are needed. You
donations and your coming to work with us are needed. But for now, we are
asking you to join us in seeking the mercy and grace of God to penetrate this
darkness with the light and love of Jesus through ordinary people like you and
me.
This SEASON OF PRAYER is really a 30+ day
spiritual adventure of learning about and battling the forces of darkness – through
informed and fervent praying - on behalf of all the peoples living in and
around Northern Thailand including all the unreached people groups in Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, and China. This SEASON OF PRAYER
is a significant adventure we are asking you to go on.
As we begin this 30 Day SEASON OF PRAYER
for N.T.I.M (Northern Thailand Impact Ministry) and all of the peoples in and
around Northern Thailand, we want to begin this spiritual journey by seeking
the face of the Almighty God and asking Him to give us the Nations that are in
and around Northern Thailand. The Psalmist wrote this, “Ask of Me, and I Will
Surely Give You the Nations….” Psalm 2:8.
Prayer
Example: “Oh, Heavenly Father. We know that You have set
eternity in the hearts of the millions of people including hundreds of
unreached people groups living in and around Northern Thailand. We see on the
map how Northern Thailand is strategically located to reach many other nations
and people groups in that part of Your World. We pray and ask that You might be
pleased to use NTIM and those who partner with NTIM to take the gospel and
message of Jesus to the hundreds of Unreached People Groups living among them
especially in this upcoming Christmas season. Help them to be your salt and
your light and to continue breaking down the barriers of resistance that have
kept them for over 2,000 years from opening their heart to our great Savior
Jesus. We pray this in Jesus name and for the expansion of His Kingdom. Amen.”
