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Glorify God … but glorify me too please

Posted on Thursday April 26th, 2012 at 3:49 pm by

It struck me again today just how wretched I am and how Satan plays us. Here’s what happened.

I went to the downtown area with a Myanmar friend to do some shopping this morning. As I usually do, I hailed a taxi for the return trip home. We haggle for and agree on a price and then we’re on our way. My friend and the driver talk in Myanmar for a while, and I realise that part of what they’re talking about is me. I ask my friend what they’re saying and this begins some broken translation between the driver and me, with my poor friend trying to keep up as mouthpiece for us both.

The driver was extremely friendly and talkative and animated, though he was also a little strange. He had some peculiar mannerisms, twitches, and noises, but these all seemed to add to his character. I was noticing these in the midst of our conversation too, so I didn’t think too much of it.

We began talking the usual stuff, like where I’m from, what I’m doing, and the conversation moved to him and how old he was (73), how many children he had (6, all sons), how long he’d been driving taxis, and so on. Interspersed in his conversation were comments to me like, “You’re a good man”, or “I can see you love everybody”, and “You have a very kind nature”. There were a few others, but you get the drift.

Eventually the conversation died down and I sat there thinking, “If I could speak the language better I’d be able to explain to him that I’m not that great, but He who lives in me is” (also, we were only a couple of minutes from home and I didn’t really have the time to begin sharing the gospel through a translator). But the other thought that came into my head was, “I’m wretched, sure, but I am actually a nice guy and I do love all these people.” At that moment, the driver had more twitches and strange movements, nothing too demonstrative, but noticeable, and I wondered if maybe he was possessed. I’m not blessed with the gift to discern such things, but assumed he probably wasn’t. But I asked myself that if he was, what would Satan want to say to me through him. And then it occurred to me that maybe it had already been said. Whether Satan had spoken or not is immaterial, but what happened in me was not. I had been praised and my ego had been nicely stroked. In the midst of me just being me I had been made much of. Someone had said what my deceitful and desperately sick heart (Jer. 17:9) had thought of itself all along. I realised that if Satan wanted to get to me he could do it subtly and gently with these kinds of praises of man. I’d been blind-sided, subtly but significantly.

In this culture, these kind words of praise seems to happen a lot. It comes from church folks who are grateful for a sermon or some encouragement, from Bible college students who appreciate a lesson, from friends who might be treated to a meal or simply be included in something the Westerners are doing, and from people in the street who are touched by a smile and draw that out to mean you must be a kind and wonderful person. And it feels great.

Them saying it, and me letting them say it, isn’t the issue and neither are a sin. But it’s what I do with it that reveals the old man within that’s not yet dead. If my heart was right then there wouldn’t be a problem and I wouldn’t be writing this post, but my heart isn’t right. It enjoys the approval and praise of man too much.

I’m reminded of a warning Pastor John Piper gave to a conference of pastors (sorry, can’t find the original to cite). He asked of the pastors something along the lines of, “Do you finish a sermon and then look for some positive feedback as the congregation file past you at the door? Do you hope that God will be glorified by what you preached, but also secretly hope that the people will reserve some of that glory for you?” It struck me at the time and does again now.

If you were to ask me what I want most of all from being here in Myanmar, I’d quickly and easily say, “God to be glorified.” But after today’s taxi ride I’m checking myself again for that old man within who might want some of the glory to stick to me.

I’m a wretch of a sinner whose journey of sanctification is certainly a slow work in progress. Now before you more liberal-thinking Christians tell me that I’m not a sinner, but just a a saint who sins, take a look at the evidence and stop kidding yourselves and playing with words. We’re all of us sinners. We’re all of us lawbreakers. The difference we need to focus on is that though we sin and break the law numerous times a day, we’ve been chosen by a loving God who has made us believe that Christ is “he” (John 8:24). We’re no longer bound to the punishment we deserve, for our punishment was bound to Christ when he was bound to the cross. I’m a sinner, and a wretched one, but because of what God has done in Christ, I stand forgiven. So I’m a sinner and a saint.

But I digress. Can I ask that you’d pray for me as I go about the Lord’s work here? Please pray that I’d be so filled with the concern for God to be glorified that I’d not have time to want to take any of His glory upon myself.

In his 1978 song, Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful, Keith Green wrote:

I want to take your word and shine it all around.
But first help me to just, live it Lord.
And when I’m doing well, help me to never seek a crown.
For my reward is giving glory to you.

That’s what I’m after. That’s what I want my heart to want. Please pray that I’d not need or look for the approval of man, but only ever be interested in working to please an audience of one.

Thank you, and grace be with you,
Martin

 

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I think Spurgeon was Superman

Posted on Sunday April 22nd, 2012 at 9:30 pm by

I’ve just finished listening to one of Mark Driscoll’s many Leadership Coaching vodcasts. This particular one was on Charles H. Spurgeon. During the vodcast, Mark mentioned many of the things that Spurgeon did during his amazing life and mentioned how he would write 1500 letters a day. Now it’s possible that Mark got the figure wrong, but then again it’s possible that he didn’t. From what I’ve read previously on Spurgeon, he was an amazing man and I reckon it’s probably true that he did write that many.

But one of the feelings I was left with, apart from awe for the great man Spurgeon, was how difficult I find it to be anything even slightly resembling productive in the light of such people. I guess what I’m saying is that I feel a little inadequate. I get things done, but nowhere near the volumes of these men. Hence my claim that Spurgeon must have been Superman. I mean, how can anyone write 1500 letters a day? I’m hard pressed to reply to the dozen e-mails I get in an average day.

The other thoughts I had, which are probably more important than a passing feeling of inadequacy, is that men like Spurgeon were busy with many endeavours for the work of the Lord. They started many, many organisations, raised money for numerous works, preached, evangelised, wrote devotionals and/or books, lectured at colleges, and all the while managed to find time to write 1500 letters a day. Maybe I’m an attrocious time-manager, but how on earth do they do it? I’m writing lectures (and will soon begin delivering them), I write a sermon or 2 each month, I disciple a couple of people each week, I meet weekly for evangelism training and outreach, and I write maybe 10 to 15 short letters a day. I’d love to go about Yangon starting organisation for the needy and corresponding with folks to raise money for them, but I don’t know where I’d find the time. I’m already in an almost constant state of self-loathing because of my insignificant prayer life, and I know only too well that I should be spending what little time I have to spare on soaking myself with Scripture.

Do I need help? I don’t even know the answer to that. I’m acheiving – well almost – what I came here to do, that being teaching, preaching, and evangelising, but as time goes by I’m seeing needs around me that I’d also like to be involved in, like helping with some of the homeless needs and extending training to under-trained church leaders; just to name 2.

If I ever hope to do more I’ll need to find a way to Spurgeon-ise my life. Maybe I should start with making a red cape. Thoughts?

Grace be with you,
Martin

 

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Mission to Myanmar Newsletter – April 2012

Posted on Thursday April 5th, 2012 at 6:50 am by

In this edition I’ll share with you what’s been happening since the last newsletter and list some items for your prayerful consideration.

You can find ERC & RBI news by following this link.

 

Working together to save lives … in more ways than one

Martin, November 2011

Another busy month has passed. Let me see if I can bring you up to date.

First, a couple of follow-ups from the last newsletter. Events leading up to the end of February were hectic and unsettling at best, and I mentioned to you that I was able to finally get into my apartment and start doing some work, and how that was having a settling affect. I’m very happy to say that since being able to move in permanently I’m completely settled and once again feel “at home” and at peace. I’ve been able to get a lot of work done over the past 5 weeks and feel on top of the workload, rather than the other way around.

The other follow up is about my promise of a monthly newsletter and how the March edition never happened. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray, and I should expect that when “challenges and ambiguity abound” (quote from the Feb Newsletter), then hiccups like this are bound to happen. When I moved into my apartment I was without Internet, but there was an Internet Cafe nearby which I thought would be good enough. I visited there for a time, but it’s difficult to work in those places, so at best I checked e-mails and did a little research. A couple of weeks of that and I decided to pay them the equivalent of $40 for one month of wireless access that I could use from my apartment. Though it was good to have Internet when I needed it, it was so terribly slow it was hardly worth it. Speeds improved around midnight and I was able to action e-mails and the like at that time, but at 2am each morning they shut down the service and it didn’t come back on until around 8am. Historically, those hours, between 2am and 8am, have been the best for Internet use and have allowed me to get much done. Their reason for turning it off was that there wasn’t a demand for it during those hours. I advised them that I’d be very keen for it to stay on so that I could use it, but they weren’t interested. The outcome was that I had access to the Internet at less than dial-up speeds (remember those days?) and only a short time late at night, if I was up, to get some things done. Consequently I couldn’t get a solid enough connection to put together the newsletter last month, so I’m sorry for any inconvenience to anyone who might have been waiting for it. I have now given that shop the flick, and have purchased a faster and more reliable connection. If you’d like to read about it, I posted a short blog about it here.

Moses, an RBI final year studentEarly on in March I had the pleasure of being able to help Moses, an RBI final year student, with typing up his thesis for final submission. The subject was “The Sovereignty of God for Salvation”, and he’d done a very thorough job of it. English is his third language, and he’s quite a good speaker, reader, and writer of it, but when I read the first part of it I decided to offer some help in cleaning up the grammar and making some of the points a little clearer. We worked together for about 5 hours each day for 3 days and got it all done, printed, and submitted on time. He’d learnt a lot from preparing the thesis and I learnt a lot from his efforts too. We enjoyed a good time of fellowship and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know him more. He has now returned to his home village in Chin State where he expects to spend the next 6 months or so in church and evangelistic ministry. After that he thinks he might return to Yangon and undergo some further preparation for ERC’s church-planting work.

Last year I started preparation for teaching first-aid to the staff and senior students of RBI. It’s been a slow process getting everything together, but we have the first aid kits ready and during March I spent a number of hours finalising my training notes. Some time shortly after the semester begins in June I’ll take the guys aside for a few Saturday mornings and train them to deal with some of the more common minor and major injuries. The purpose is to take immediate care of any person on the RBI campus should it ever be needed, and we thank God that it hasn’t been so far, but also to equip them for assisting others in emergency situations. So far I’ve seen the aftermath of 1 fatal car accident, witnessed a trishaw being hit by a taxi, and also been witness to 2 significant car accidents, one where 2 people might have benefitted from some minor first aid. So having the knowledge to help will almost certainly come in handy.

Mr Nice Guy tract from Living WatersIf you’ve been following posts on the website you’ll remember a couple from last October on “a vital ministry” (posts are here and here). I was writing about the ministry of Living Waters and talked about some of their tracts. Well, over the past few months I’ve been working with Myanmar national Christians from our partner churches to have one of Living Waters’ tracts translated into the Myanmar language. It’s called the “Mr Nice Guy” tract (you can read the English version at their web-store) and it’s very popular and eye-catching. The man who did the artwork said that if anyone wanted it translated into their language he’d do it for free, all he needs is the text and a link to the font. Well, we had it translated a while back, but it needed checking by a few language experts before I would be happy to send it off for the final work. The people here in Yangon who were helping worked together over a number of drafts and last week we achieved the final translation. I then composed the e-mail and sent it off to Cedric, the artist, for his consideration. His website advises that it takes quite a while to insert the text of another language and to change the look of the characters, but we’re hoping for a speedy turnaround. If and when it comes back to us we then need to find a printer who’ll give us a good rate. Please pray that all of this would come about in a good time frame and with favourable results. And please pray that we might find sponsors to help us do a bulk print run (I’m thinking 50,000 should get us started).

On the topic of evangelism, I’ve started a weekly meeting at my apartment to focus on evangelism. For various reasons we (Thang Bwee and I) have been putting off getting started. A couple of weeks ago I just couldn’t wait any longer and so decided to get something started. It’s a simple beginning with a simple plan. The idea is to begin with prayer. I’ve invited anyone who’s interested to meet with me for prayer every Friday night at 8pm. Over the next month or so we’ll pray and have some practical training in Biblical evangelism. Then, I expect some time in May, we’ll continue to meet every week, we’ll pray for a while and then we’ll go out somewhere in Yangon and hand out gospel tracts. Later on, perhaps in June, we’ll start talking to people one-to-one and continue to hand out tracts. Eventually, if God and the authorities here are willing, I hope to do open-air preaching, but I expect that may live as a dream for quite a while. Last Friday was the first meeting and 2 people came. We had a great time of prayer and encouragement from the Word, and we watched a couple of short videos of people sharing their faith Biblically. Most of the people who would normally come are away on holidays or ministry trips to Chin State, so that’s why numbers are down. But I don’t mind if there’s only ever 3 of us. It’s our prayer that the Lord’s will would be done through us, and regardless of our strength in numbers, we have strength in the courage and comfort of our Lord. Please remember us in prayer as we learn and as we go.

Introducing Tim and Bree, my Home Support Coordinators

In the Feb newsletter I mentioned my new Home Support Coordinators, Tim and Bree Davis. This month I’d like you to get to know them a little better.

Home Support Coordinators, Tim and Bree DavisBree and I were married in November 2011. We have been attending Revesby Presbyterian church for about 4-5 years. I work for myself as a carpenter and have done so for about 8 years. I am now attending PTC Bible college part-time and hoping to move to full-time in the next couple of years. Bree has completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in human resource management and employment relations. She is currently working as a nanny part-time.

I’ve been to Vanuatu 4 times with Mission Partners and because of this I know how important mission work is, especially in Martin’s field. We first met Martin at Revesby church. We found out about his plans to go to Myanmar through some of his presentations and info that was being passed around. After going to his info night, not long before he left, God had reminded me of what an important job missions is, and how support and prayer is so important for Martin and many others. Since Martin has been in Myanmar we have been praying for him and keeping up to date via emails.

Its a wonderful privilege for Bree and me to be able to be the Home Support for Martin. We will do our best to pray always, and to support and share Martin’s work with the church.

Aren’t they great! Hearts of gold and already an enourmous encouragement and blessing to me. You have them at your disposal, so please use them if you need anything related to the work here in Myanmar. As I mentioned last time, they can provide you with Prayer calendars, Mission Information sheets, updates, live presentations; you name it, they’ll do it. Their contact details are: timted2 [at] hotmail [dot] com or call Tim’s mobile, 0422429546. Why drop them a quick e-mail to encourage them in their new role. Ask them about “the envelopes” too. Maybe they can share with you what they’re doing at Revesby.

So that’s it for this month’s newsletter, except, of course, for the prayer points and ‘recent article’ links below.

Thanks for journeying with me, friends. Much grace and blessings be with you,

Martin
http://matt2819.com/myanmar

 

 

Recent Articles

matt2819.com/myanmar

Below are links to some of the recent articles I’ve posted on the website.

 

 

For Prayer

For prayer
  • Praise God for providing access to my apartment. For some time it was looking impossible, then quite suddenly the problems disappeared and I was allowed to move in.
  • Praise God for settling me and helping get through a lot of work during March.
  • Praise God for the completed translation work of the “Mr Nice Guy” tract.
  • Praise God for Tim and Bree. Their enthusiasm, humility, encouragement, and willingness to serve. May God bless them.
  • Praise God for our weekly evangelism gathering finally getting under way. Thank God for His abundant encouragement to us last week.
  • Pray that as we learn and do evangelism we would be bold and courageous, yet gentle and humble.
  • Pray that the translation of the “Mr Nice Guy” tract would be approved and the work could be done speedily. Please pray also that we would find favour with a local printer and that the Lord would provide funds for the initial print run.
  • Praise God that a dear friend has offered to help me learn the Myanmar language. We plan to do 3 hours across 3 days each week.
  • Please keep praying for my Bible reading and prayer times. They’ve only improved slightly over the last month. Please pray that I would hunger for it like never before. I know the Lord is working on me in these areas and I know your prayers are being answered. Thank you, and please keep me upheld.
  • And finally … my usual prayer request that is so very important. Please pray, as Paul did for the Colossians …

    “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:9-12)

YOURS FOR THE ASKING
Always available is the Prayer Calendar. Feel free to ask for some to be mailed to you or visit the Prayer Calendar webpage.		 DISCONTINUED
The separate Prayer Points page that usually accompanies this newsletter. From now on, all my prayer points will be listed inside each newsletter, just like they are above.

 

 

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Internet – toothpicks and shovels

Posted on Friday March 30th, 2012 at 8:31 am by

Happy days are here again. For the low, low price of only an arm and a leg I’ve been able to get faster Internet access at my apartment.

Up until today I’ve been accessing a shared network provided by an Internet Café. They make extra money by providing their network wirelessly to those living within spitting range (they’re pretty good spitters here), but that means that several people both in and around the café are getting only crumbs from the available banquet. I recently described it to someone as it being like trying to eat cheesecake with a toothpick.

So I’m gloating about my fast Internet speed (still toothpicks and cheesecake for uploads, but shovel loads inbound) because up until now I’ve not really been able to do much at all. The occasional e-mail session and even more occasional surf, but not much more. That means that all posting and newsletter sending has been on hold. Pity too, as last month I promised a monthly newsletter only to fail immediately. But now that I’ve got it, I’ve posted what I was writing while in pseudo-offline mode (post-dated entries) and the newsletter will be out on April 4th, God willing.

Thanks for your interest and prayers. Grace be with you,
Martin

 

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Spirit Possession – alive and well

Posted on Monday March 26th, 2012 at 6:05 am by

It’s not too unusual to hear and read of spirit possession in the far-away jungles or mountains of some hidden land, but, in my experience at least, it’s less common to hear of it in big cities.

When describing Yangon its difficult to categorise. It certainly looks like a big city, smells like a big city, and quacks like a big city, but really it’s more like a series of very closely connected villages and people groups. With this kind of structure, it’s often easy to think of it as an interconnected economic centre, hustling and bustling it’s way through each day. And the funny thing is, it is that, but it’s also not. Scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find what I described before – closely connected pockets or villagers. This all makes it difficult to categorise, and even more difficult to explain. I hope I’m making some sense though.

So within this mix of modern and ancient, high-tech and no-tech, traditional and ‘new’, poverty and wealth, oppression and freedom, it’s a somewhat surprising reminder that Satan and his hordes are still hard at work keeping their foot on the neck of those whose minds are blinded (2 Cor. 4:4).

I was recently told a story by a man who visited a funeral at the home of a family who had lost their 11 year-old daughter in a recent ferry accident on the Panthein River (full story here). When he arrived he saw that all his friends from his church were standing out on the street. He asked them why they were not inside and was told that the mother was having a fit or in some kind of rage. He was concerned and curious about this so went inside where he met up with his pastor. They both stood and watched what he described to me as spirit possession. I have since discovered that this is not an uncommon occurrence here in the Yangon area.

Buddhism is the predominant religion here, but among some tribal people and even the main people-group of the Barma tribe, there is also a strong history of animism. Paul tells us that we wrestle against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, and spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12), so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that evil spirits are still taking control of people, but as most, if not all, of us don’t get to see very much of it in our lives it does indeed surprise and leave us wondering what to do in the midst of it.

Though I’d like to say that my friend and his pastor cast out the demon and brought salvation to the household, alas they were shocked as much as the rest of us would be and didn’t know what to do. There were many people there, some holding and trying to comfort the possessed lady, and they didn’t want to intrude or seem insensitive to the bereaved mother (the woman who was possessed). I can understand the difficulties of the situation and, as I wasn’t there, won’t make a judgement call. But I’d like to think in such circumstances that I’d have a plan and that I would be strongly led by the Holy Spirit to do or not to do something.

So I suppose I’ve told you all this to share with you a little of life here, but also to ask for your prayers. Please pray for me and for the national Christian workers who may often come across this situation in the future. Please pray that we’d have wisdom and a closeness with the Lord to know his prompting of us. Please pray that we wouldn’t move in our own strength in anything that we do, but that that would be especially true in these situations.

And if you have any input or experience you’d like to share with me and other followers of this blog then I’d be most grateful. Spiritual possession is something I know very little about, and though I know that greater is he who is in me (1 John 4:4), there’s a lot of uncertainty about how and when one should proceed. We wouldn’t want to make it worse for the person (Mat. 12:43-45), but we don’t want to be neglectful and uncompassionate either. So it’s a bit confusing, therefore anything Biblical you can offer would be a great help.

Grace be with you,
Martin

 

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Joy in difference

Posted on Monday March 19th, 2012 at 7:25 am by

I’m friends with a Myanmar guy whose life is worlds apart from my own. At first I didn’t think we were that different. However, as I’ve gotten to know him more, which has been a joyous experience, I’m learning just how different I am to almost everyone here.

I invited him over for a meal last week and we got to talking about many things. As we were talking, we were both struggling with some rather tough meat. It was supposed to be tough, that’s the Myanmar style for this dish, but trying to cut it with a fork and a spoon, also the norm for the Myanmar culture, just wasn’t … well … cutting it (pun absolutely intended).

“I’m gonna need a knife for this,” I said, “How about you?”
“Yes, I think so,” he replied.

I got us each a knife and we revisited our meals with renewed hope. As I expected, my knife was making fast work of the once unrelenting piece or meat. His, however, didn’t seem to be working too well. I watched as his awkward grip and cutting style aided more in scooting the plate around the table rather then getting through the piece of food.

“Try more downward force with the fork,” I offered. That didn’t work. “Here, watch me.” I demonstrated my method. He tried, but that didn’t work either.

“I don’t know about the knife,” he said.
“Have you ever used a knife with food?”, it occurred to me to ask.
“No. Never used before.”
“Wow. Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that explains why your having trouble.”

I then proceeded to teach this young man (21yo) how to use a knife to cut food. He had some limited success, as any first-timer with a knife would, but eventually got through the meat without chasing his plate at the same time.

Further in our conversation we got to talking about ministries around the country and what the Lord might do through us as we evangelise.

“Which parts of Myanmar have you been to?”, I asked.
“Never to any place,” he replied.
“Nowhere?”
“Yes, only Yangon. Thauk Kyant [where the RBI campus is, on the outskirts of Yangon city] is the furthest I’ve ever been.”
“Wow,” says me. “Even I have travelled further out than you,” (only 20km further mind you).

After lunch I asked him if he could do me a favour and call a computer shop for me to ask if they have some software that I’m considering. I explained to him what I needed and handed him my mobile phone and the phone number.

“Um…” was all he said.
“Do you have a question?” I asked.
“No. I just don’t know how to use it,” was his reply, waving the phone.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I then proceeded to show him how to unlock the phone, enter the numbers, and to press the green button when ready to call.

The reason I wanted to share these 3 stories with you is simply to highlight some of the simple, yet numerous ways in which our worlds are separated. For our culture (Western/Australian), not knowing how to use a knife at 21 years of age is so foreign it seems strange. And for a person to have not travelled more then 30kms from their home at his age would again be a very strange thing. And what was once, in days of old, a peculiar piece of technology to us is still that to folks like my Myanmar friend.

Whilst each of these discoveries amazed me and took me a little by surprise, it got me thinking how much my culture determines the way I view the world and its people around me. I did numerous cross-cultural subjects at Bible college that prepared me well for such differences, but as I am a product of my many isolated years in Australia, coming face-to-face with them still offered a refreshing perspective. My friend comes from a very poor part of the city and does very well to interact with the more ‘modern’ areas of Yangon.

Poverty isn’t just about having little or no money, it brings with it dozens of other area of life that are affected. The infrastructure in his township is years behind that where I live, and my area is decades behind that of Australia. It was only last year that electricity was made available to his street. Telephones are talked about, not on. Roads are not only dirt, but pot-hole ridden dirt (and these are potholes you could spend a week in). Medical care is miles away, and the transport to get there is a trishaw at best. Schooling in Yangon is compulsory to year 10, but for those in the grip of poverty it becomes optional. I’ve heard of many accounts of children whose parents are in so much debt that they leave the children without notice and move to another place. The child then either lives on the streets or gets work in a tea shop, but either way will never return to school (or ever see their parents again). For those whose parents hang in there and try to overcome the debt, they don’t have the money needed for school fees, so the child roams the street or, like the abandoned ones, gets some menial labour work. And so the list goes on.

So I find my attitudes have been challenged. Could I live more simply? Is there anything I, and people like me, could do to help balance our excess with their lack? And what about my walk with God? My friend has had a zealous and joy-filled walk for many years, and all without a mobile phone, computer, Internet, library, shoes, television, or even a light to read by. He’s praying ALL THE TIME for absolutely everything and his cup runneth over (Psa. 23:5, Psa. 45:1). His fruit is healthy and plenteous (Gal. 5:22; Phi. 1:11) with lips overgrown with thanksgiving (Heb. 13:15). I am a midget-Christian next to him, yet I’ve walked with the Lord 5 times longer than he. Shame on me! Shame on us all in the West. We’ve grown fat and complacent whilst our distant family grows thin and oppressed. Let’s not waste any more time with rhetoric. Let’s pray, let’s get saturated with the Word of God, let’s go into all the world, and let’s make disciples of the idol-worshipping Godless so that they may enjoy the blessings (Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3; Tit. 3:5) we’ve come to take for granted.

Grace be with you,
Martin

 

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An apartment to call home

Posted on Monday February 27th, 2012 at 3:50 pm by

This post is an update to share some great news.

But first, some background.

I moved from Australia to Myanmar in December 2010 and shortly after secured an apartment about 1km away from the church I was sent here to work with – the Evangelical Reformed Church (ERC). Before moving in I had made some enquiries about wanting to have some classes there and also to set up the spare room as a place foreign visitors could use when they visited, rather than having to use a hotel. Nothing definite was ever said but I was led to believe that it would be ok. After moving in though, I was advised by the local authorities (similar to a small Australian town’s local council, but not in any way as organised) that I would not be able to have any classes, and foreign visitors must always stay in a hotel. A disappointing outcome, but made somewhat worse by the fact that I’d rented the apartment based on the impression that it’d be ok. What that means is that I would have rented a much smaller and cheaper place if I knew it was only ever going to be just me living there. In hindsight I know I should have asked more questions of more people, but at the time I thought I knew enough to make a good decision. Lesson learnt … or so I thought.

It was a 12-month lease at that apartment, so come November 2011 I was looking to move to something smaller and cheaper. After looking at a number of places I settled on one about half the size in a different but nearby township. Again, a 12 month lease was signed. As you know from my February newsletter, I visited Australia at the same time as when I had to move, so whilst there some of the church folks back here moved my already-packed apartment contents to the new place. Upon my return it was just a matter of unpacking and settling in … or so I thought.

The first problem arose when I wanted to move in on a tourist visa. Top of my list of things to do upon my return from Australia was to secure a business visa, and so I found myself quite busy trying to do so, talking to various people both here in Myanmar and back in Australia. One conversation led to another, which led to another, and so on, and eventually I met with another missionary who was able to help me through the business visa process. After gathering the information and paperwork needed I visited the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, to obtain the visa that would allow me to move in to my apartment.

I returned to Myanmar with passport and visa in hand and headed back to the hotel I’d been staying at. I expected to stay there a day, maybe two, whilst the process of submitting whatever was needed to the local authorities transpired. Thang Bwee has a very good relationship with his local authority people, who were now my local authority people, so he dealt face-to-face with them on my behalf. For the sake of keeping this ramble to a minimum I’ll just say that they requested still more paperwork before allowing me to move in.

One particular piece of paperwork was proving very difficult to secure, and so the delays continued whilst I made even more phone calls, local and abroad, and did some running around town meeting with this one and that. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, nobody was able to help me, and no matter how many different people I connected with they all hit a brick wall. My options were narrowing by the minute, and whilst I was still in good spirits and ever-hopeful, I was starting to wonder how I would find the path to lead me out of this maze.

Thanks to the sovereign hand of God and an abundance of grace I received a phone call from Thang Bwee 2 days ago. The first thing he says to me is, “I have some news. It could be good news or bad news, but I think you’d better decide which it is.” I’m not the sort of person to think the worst straight away, so I’m trying to think what might be coming next, whether it be good or bad. So I tell Thang Bwee that I’m ready, ether way. He strings me along for another 30 seconds or so, and at one point says, “Maybe I should just wait until I see you”, followed by great laughter. He has a terrific sense of humour and a clever wit, and was having fun with me because he knew what the news was that he was bringing. Eventually, he said, “Ok, here’s what I need to tell you. The local authorities have just said to me that you are now allowed to move into your apartment. You don’t need any more paperwork now, they just allow you to go and live there, no problems.”

I was amazed, to say the least. I asked him what had changed and he said that he had met one of the local authorities in the street and talked this matter over with him again, asking (almost begging) for some kind of solution. This man then called another local authority man and after all 3 of them had talked the matter through again they were able to come to a solution.

It seems the problem was that some of the information about the procedure was unclear and that the paperwork being requested was not really required and that I was now free to move in immediately.

The local authorities have been great, and I think the problem is due to the rules surrounding foreign residents having undergone many changes lately. This had resulted in everyone being confused about what was correct and what had changed, but it seems that even the local authorities are having difficulties keeping up with the changes.

Myanmar’s government, both federal and local, are enjoying some long-awaited change, but in the process of moving forward it seems there’s a strong likelihood that they might get tangled up in it at the same time. It’s a process of growing and maturing and moving forward in the direction of democracy and freedom, and these aren’t things too well-known here. Myanmar has had 60 years of military rule and all the complexities that go with it, and so for those in leadership here in Myanmar I can only imagine that they’re feeling their way whilst all the while trying to get it right for everybody.

Naturally I’m extremely happy because of the favourable outcome, and I’m happy to be experiencing this time of change in Myanmar. Though it’s a little clumsy at times, Myanmar is progressing, maturing, and, I believe, moving in the right direction. There is hope here and, albeit slowly, things are improving.

Please thank God with me for the excellent outcome of this situation, and thank you again, my dear prayerful friends and family, for taking my needs to Him in prayer.

Here are some photos of the apartment. As of today, Monday, February 27th, I will at last be calling this place home.

Grace be with you, and feel free to drop in for a cuppa any time ;)
Martin

 

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Mission to Myanmar Newsletter – February 2012

Posted on Thursday February 16th, 2012 at 2:47 am by

Welcome to the slightly new-look, cut-down version of my newsletter. In this edition I’ll be sharing with you what’s been happening since the last newsletter and sharing some prayer points. You can find links to ERC & RBI news by following this link.

 

To and Fro, Here and There

Martin, November 2011

You’re a dedicated group of followers and I thank you for your patience. Sorry this edition has taken so long to put together, but I kept putting it off, waiting for whatever was happening to come to some sort of conclusion so I could tell you about it, only to find that the next interesting thing I wanted to tell you about was under way and I should wait for it to finish so I could then tell you about it. Suffice it to say, that’s not a good plan. There is a new plan though, and that is this: shorter updates, but monthly updates. Can you believe it? Me … writing regular updates? Unimaginable? Impossible? Amazing? Well, time will tell, but I’ve been ‘encouraged’ by the powers that be to get info out to you more often, so that’s what I plan to do. Sincerely though, thank you for being patient, and thank you to those who continue to keep in touch and initiate contact with me during those silent months. I’m encouraged and feel very cared for.

But now, on to the news.

Since the last newsletter there have been many and varied things come my way. Some good, some challenging. Here’s a whirlwind, snapshot, overview (though not particularly short)…

In October I took a week off to spend with my friend, David, who came to visit from Australia. We frequented many coffee shops (he loves his coffee like I do my tea) and had lots to catch up on and talk about. It was great to have him here and he was very encouraging and supportive. A nice boost to morale after such a trying and challenging year of language learning. After his visit I got stuck into lecture preparation whilst continuing to chase various options to try to secure a long-term visa. The lecture prep was slow but progressing nicely, however the visa avenues were more like cul-de-sacs than through roads. None of the options was what I was looking for, so I was reluctant to commit to any of them due to how they would interrupt the work and plans I had with ERC and RBI. Unfortunately, all this delaying was bringing me closer to the deadline of my residency expiry, and around mid-November a decision had to be made.

After talking with Thang Bwee, and tossing up various options, we came to the conclusion that I should take up an offer that came my way earlier that month. Late November saw my dear Mum turn 80, and in early November my equally dear Sister, Helen, e-mailed me offering to fly me back to attend the celebration. With the deadline of my residency approaching and the unlikely outcome of me securing a long-term visa before that deadline, I decided to take Helen up on her offer and return to Australia for Mum’s party, but also so that I could secure a short-term visa to get me back in to Myanmar for round 2 of the visa hunt-down.

Me with Mum on the day of her 80th birthdayWe kept my return to Australia a secret from almost everybody, most especially my Mum, and she was delighted and incredibly surprised to see me. First, she thought I might have been deported from the country, as she was aware of the visa issues and approaching deadline, but I assured her that I left of my own volition and would be returning as soon as I could. We had a great day together and she later said it was one of the best days of her life. A wonderful outcome.

I stayed with my sister in Sydney for about a week whilst I visited a couple of friends, as well as having a meeting with Kevin and Alex, the Director and Treasurer of Mission Partners. The following week I headed to Newcastle to spend some time with Mum while I waited for my visa application and passport to return from the Myanmar embassy in Canberra. This happened around the second week of December, so I made the decision to stay on and have Christmas with family. What I didn’t take into consideration though, was the cost of flights after Christmas. I was astounded when I tried to make a booking to get back to Myanmar. The flights were about 3 times their normal cost. As it turned out, I ended up booking my return on January 8th, the first day of the cheaper flights. So what was intended to be about a 3 week trip to Australia turned out to be a 7 week trip. It was good to spend that time with Mum and to see a few friends and family, but it was quite a long time away and, though I took work with me, it wasn’t a particularly productive time.

Because the trip was to be short, I hadn’t planned any visits to any churches or supporters, however I did get a chance to update my home congregation at Revesby, as well as a brief presentation at Cronulla on the same day I flew out to head back to Myanmar. Had I known at the outset that I was going to be back as long as I was I might have planned my time better and been able to see more of you, but it was a bit of a messy trip in regard to dates and seeing people, so I’m sorry to the many that I couldn’t catch up with. My next planned return is my 3-month Home Assignment (new name for furlough and deputation) starting in March 2014, and I’ll be sure to give you all plenty of notice and opportunity to have me visit and update you.Martin with Jaw Mo Lwin

I flew back via Perth, where I visited family for a few days, and another stopover in Malaysia, where I visited a dear Myanmar friend who’s having his own visa-wrestling issues as he tries to get to America to see his aging and frail father. He’s a new Christian and was in desperate need of some encouragement and friendship. Please remember him in prayer, that the Lord would bless and keep him and make His face shine upon him and make him strong in all the fruits of the Spirit. His name is Jaw Mo Lwin.

I landed back in Myanmar on January 14th and began again the process of hunting down this long-term visa. At the same time I knew Thang Bwee wanted me to start teaching the Church History subject I was supposed to have started back in November, so I continued my preparations for that, along with 2 sermons, and various articles and other lectures. As you can imagine, it was quite a busy time and I was finding it difficult to properly focus on anything. Thang Bwee recognised that this was happening and very generously postponed my teaching schedule until next semester so that I could focus on getting the long-term visa before my short-term one ran out. It was good that he did, as it took me right up to nearly the last day to finally secure the long-term visa I was looking for. After many phone calls, even some back to Australia, and a number of visits here and there around Yangon, I managed to get all the paperwork together to apply for the new visa. This had to be done in another country, so I booked a flight to Thailand; the closest and apparently the easiest embassy to get a quick turnaround for a visa. Well, it wasn’t exactly easy, but I suppose it wasn’t that difficult either. I, along with a couple hundred other people, queued up in the sun, humidity, and heat of Bangkok to apply for our various visas. I eventually got seen and the chap took my application papers and visa and advised that it would be processed and ready for pick-up the next day (for a small extra fee, of course). Flights, hotel, and visa, all-up cost around $500, and I have to repeat this process every 10 weeks. Oh joy.

So with visa in hand I returned to Myanmar to begin the next part of the process, that being to try to secure permission with the local authorities to allow me to move in to my apartment. Firstly they said that I couldn’t live there without having a business visa, which is what I got in Thailand, but upon my return they now require a handful of other papers stating one thing or another. I’m still in the middle of this process and await the outcome. I hope for something to happen this week but really, who knows. One of my problems though has been that since returning I’ve had to live in a hotel. It’s a cheap hotel, at around $25 a night, but still, it’s adding up somewhat. Even more of a hassle though is how disruptive hotel living can be. I’ve been travelling and living out of a suitcase since late November last year, so I’m pretty desperate to get ‘home’ and settle down. Fortunately, since returning from Thailand I’m allowed to visit my apartment during the day, so I’ve been able to unpack boxes and get things set up. For the past 3 days I actually been able to sit down at my own desk in my own apartment and get some work done. It’s been wonderful!

So challenges and ambiguity abound here in Myanmar. Though somewhat unsettled I’m in very good spirits and am learning to ride the waves of good and bad, convenient and inconvenient, and everything in between.

NEW
HOME SUPPORT COORDINDATORS
← Read more

Finally, and on a different note, I would like to let you know that Chris Athavle, who’s been my Home Support Coordinator for nearly 3 years has now moved into his own full-time ministry role. He passes the Home Support Coordinator baton on to Tim and Bree Davis, a delightful young couple from my home church, Revesby. Tim and Bree are dead keen on mission work and they’ve always been very supportive and encouraging for the work here in Myanmar. Unfortunately I don’t have their photos just now, but I’ll ask them to send me some to put in the next newsletter. If you need anything related to the work here in Myanmar, Tim and Bree are the people to talk to. Prayer calendars, Mission Information sheets, updates, live presentations; you name it, they’ll do it. You can contact them by email at timted2 [at] hotmail [dot] com or call Tim’s mobile, 0422429546.

So that pretty much brings you up to date. I can’t think of anything else to write so I’ll sign off. However, if this “whirlwind, snapshot, overview” has left you with questions, please feel free to write back as I’d be happy to answer any questions. And if you don’t have a question you could always write back and tell me how you’re doing and what you’ve been up to.

Grace be with you,

Martin
http://matt2819.com/myanmar

 

 

Recent Articles

matt2819.com/myanmar

Below are links to some of the recent articles I’ve posted on the website.

The posts lately have been to share with you some of the answers to question I’ve been asked by the parishioners of ERC.

 

 

For Prayer

For prayer
  • Praise God for the time in Australia with family
  • Praise God for the safe return to Myanmar (the place I truly call home)
  • Praise God for the long-term visa (10 weeks is considered ‘long’ here)
  • Praise God that very soon I’ll be able to move in to my apartment and to get properly settled
  • Praise God as I now have almost 4 months of preparation time for next semester’s lectures (they start in June). I’ll be teaching 3 or 4, 32-hour subjects and each one takes about a month to research and write if I do around 6 hours of preparation each day. Pray that I would quickly settle into the routine of study and research needed for this.
  • Praise God for opportunities to begin some regular (hopefully weekly) evangelism. This will probably take the form of ‘on-the-street’, walk-up evangelism and I’ll have a native speaker with me. FYI, evangelism in Myanmar is not illegal.
  • Thank God for the excellent effort of my previous Home Support Coordinator, Chris Athavle, and thank God for the new Home Support Coordinators, Tim and Bree Davis, who are very keen about missions and about the work here in Myanmar.
  • Pray for boldness and courage and wisdom when doing evangelism
  • Pray that I might find a good Myanmar language tutor (I’ll start looking late Feb)
  • My Bible reading and prayer times have not been very regular or deep over the past few weeks. Please pray that I would get this routine on track quickly. It’s easy to feel dry very quickly when you’re not drinking enough living water.
  • And finally … I’ve had this as a prayer point since last April but I want to keep including it as it’s so very important. Please pray, as Paul did for the Colossians …

    “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:9-12)

YOURS FOR THE ASKING
Always available is the Prayer Calendar. Feel free to ask for some to be mailed to you or visit the Prayer Calendar webpage.		 DISCONTINUED
The separate Prayer Points page that usually accompanies this newsletter. From now on, all my prayer points will be listed inside each newsletter, just like they are above.

 

 

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Wrong or unbiblical teaching and worship

Posted on Thursday January 26th, 2012 at 6:28 am by

At ERC, where I fellowship, preach, and teach, we have a question and answer time once a month where people can submit their questions anonymously and then either Thang Bwee or I answer them. For the questions that I have the privilege of answering I’m posting the answers here for your edification and general discussion. If you think there’s room for correction then you’re more than welcome to do that publicly using the comment feature below this post. I look forward to our interactions.

The Question(s)

Today, there are many churches worshipping in wrong or unbiblical ways. Also, false teachers and followers know everything concerning God, they believe God but they teach and preach falsely or in unbiblical ways.

  1. Will these people go to hell after death?
  2. Will God judge them in heaven or here on earth?

 

The Response(s)

  • To respond very specifically to your questions I would need to know some more detail about what exactly you mean by “wrong or unbiblical”. However, I can offer you the following general information.
    • People go to hell because they don’t receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour and because they don’t repent of sin.
    • We see in our own lives and certainly in the lives of God’s chosen people throughout history that there is both judgement and punishment here on earth. Usually it comes to lead us to repentance and to cause us to cry out to God. 1 Cor. 11:32 says, “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” If someone is worshipping in an unbiblical way then they may be in sin and need to repent. And God, in his mercy, may either overlook it or chastise it, but that is entirely up to his good will and pleasure. Scripture tells us in many places that God chastens or disciplines us. He does this because he loves us – Deut. 8:5; Job 5:17; Ps. 94:12; Ps. 118:18; Prov. 3:11; 2 Cor. 6:9; Heb. 12:6, 7, 10, 11; Rev. 3:19.
    • There will be a judgement in heaven on the “day of wrath” (Rom. 2:5). Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Jesus Christ will be the judge. All unbelievers will be judged by Christ, and they will be punished according to the works they have done. The Bible is very clear that unbelievers are storing up wrath against themselves (Rom. 2:5) and that God will “give to each person according to what he has done” (Rom. 2:6). Believers will also be judged by Christ, but since Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us and our names are written in the book of life we will be rewarded, not punished, according to our deeds.
    • Revelation 20:11-15 says…

        11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
      12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
      13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
      14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
      15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

    • And 1 Corinthians 3:13 …

        13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

  • And regarding false teaching, there are different types of false teachers. Some teach falsely on issues that, even if incorrect, do not affect one’s salvation. They are not centrally important doctrines. For example, some will teach that we must worship singing only the Psalms, whilst others will teach that singing songs other than Psalms is acceptable. Both can’t be right, so either one or both are teaching falsely. Does that mean they’re going to hell? No, but if they were to teach that salvation comes by anything apart from grace by faith in Christ then they would be teaching falsely on a central doctrine and, unless they repent, they will almost certainly be going to hell. And as with unbiblical worship, God may either overlook the false teachers or judge them here on earth. Again that is entirely up to his good will and pleasure.

 

Portions of this answer sourced from gotquestions.org/final-judgment.html

——

What are your thoughts on these answers? Agree? Disagree? A bit of both? Please use the comments section to share what you think.

Blessings,
Martin

 

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Spirits of man and beasts – are they the same?

Posted on Thursday January 19th, 2012 at 6:04 am by

At ERC, where I fellowship, preach, and teach, we have a question and answer time once a month where people can submit their questions anonymously and then either Thang Bwee or I answer them. For the questions that I have the privilege of answering I’m posting the answers here for your edification and general discussion. If you think there’s room for correction then you’re more than welcome to do that publicly using the comment feature below this post. I look forward to our interactions.

The Question(s)

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21

19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

I believe that all animals or beasts do not have spirit. But vs. 21 speaks about the spirit of the beast and it even says the spirits of man and beasts are the same (v19). I want to understand what does this passage mean?

 

The Response(s)

  • I’ll answer the second part first, that being “what does this passage mean?” Verses 19-21, like the rest of the book of Ecclesiastes (with exception of the last 2 verses of the final chapter), are to be understood that the author is writing as if imagining or pretending that we are living without consideration of the influence of God. He is saying that life without God is meaningless. So these 4 verses say to us that if there is no God we don’t know what happens to either man or animal and their outcome could very well be the same.
  • However, we know that that is not true when we look at other parts of the Bible that tell us we are different to animals and we do know what happens after death (Heb. 9:27; Mat. 25:31-46). Most notably, humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not. Both biblical and scientific evidence demonstrate this. Man alone has the capacity to know and worship God because he has been made in Gods image after Gods likeness.
  • See also:
    • 1Cor 15:39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
    • Prov 15:24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
  • Regarding animal spirits, the original word in the Old Testament parts of the Bible translated as ‘spirit’ can also be translated as breath or wind. (Cf. Gen. 6:3 against Gen. 6:17. The same Hebrew word is translated spirit in one case and breath in the other.) Such verses are teaching that it is God’s Spirit or breath that keeps every creature alive. The same “breath of life” or spirit that keeps each person alive also keeps each animal alive. What happens at death is described in Ecclesiastes 12:7:

    “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

  • So animals do indeed have a spirit. And the spirit, or better, the breath, that both them and us have is the same thing and that it is from God (Eccl. 12:7).

 

This answer refers neither to New Testament references to spirit nor the Holy Spirit.

 

——

What are your thoughts on these answers? Agree? Disagree? A bit of both? Please use the comments section to share what you think.

Blessings,
Martin

 

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