PRAYER DAY 4 - Thailand-Home to Over 70 Different Ethnic Unreached People Groups - November 30, 2014

Today is Day 4 of our 36 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.

Thailand-Home to Over 70 Different Ethnic Unreached People Groups

 

When most people think of the country of Thailand, they mistakenly think that the Thai people are all from of 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 but ethnically, linguistically, and culturally, Thailand is made up of between 70 - 100 different people groups. 

It is true that the Central Thai are the largest people group in Thailand with a population of around 20,000,000 according to Joshua Project statistics. However, what that also means is that out of the 70,000,000 people in Thailand, 71% are from a different ethnic group than the Central Thai group. What that means is that 71% 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 70 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 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.”

GOD IS WORKING IN THAILAND – Prayer Day 3 – November 29, 2014

Today is Day 3 of our 36 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.

One of my favorite passages is found in 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 15 years. 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 and have lived in Chiang Rai now for 13 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. We worked hard to 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 Lighthouse Language Center was the beginning of what has now become Grace Language School (GLS) which is owned and operated by NTIM’s sister foundation in Thailand called Channel of Blessing Foundation. After two years of living in Chiang Rai and all of our beginning team members faithfully teaching English and reaching out into the community and sharing the love of Jesus, 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. 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. Today Peat 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 to become a Christian. That was 11 years ago. The picture of the baptism here has very special meaning to us because on that day both Peat and Mint were baptized, but our son Joshua was also baptized on that day in the Mae Gok River in Chiang Rai, Thailand just minutes from our home 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, the first person in their entire families to become Christians. Our church – Baan Athitaan Church - is full of first generation Christians. 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 last year 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 be a fisher of men. 

The link is found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYjM93EldyY&feature=youtu.be 

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 28, 2014

Today is Day 2 of our 36 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.

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 believe that God extended that invitation to me (Michael Johnson) and my family some 17 years ago as 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 17 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 sold our home, 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. Above 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 better than my plans.”

Prayer Example: “Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for placing a little of your love for the Thai people 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. Help them to understand your plans for reaching the nations 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 thank you for recently calling and sending out Josh & Jessie Grammer and pray that you would use them as your hands and feet. We also pray that you would be pleased to call out others to go and serve You 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.”

It All Begins With God And God's Heart For The Nations - Day 1 - November 27, 2014

Today is Thanksgiving and the beginning of a 36 Day Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for God’s Work in and through Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached people groups in and around Northern Thailand. We are glad you have chosen to join us in this SEASON OF PRAYER and 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 millions and millions of people who have never heard the message of our Lord Jesus.

It all Begins With God And With God's 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.

My family has lived the last 15 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. There are over 70 different unreached people groups in the country of Thailand alone. Your heart and your prayers are needed. 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.

This is a 36 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 task we are asking you to do.

As we begin this 36 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 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 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 begin breaking down the barriers of resistance that have kept them from opening their heart to our great Savior Jesus. We pray this in Jesus name and for the expansion of His Kingdom. Amen.”