From Demons to Jesus

One sister who had been in Panama since her youth shared with us her younger brother’s (in Hong Kong) ordeal before he committed his life to Christ. Although his sister would often urge him to believe in Jesus, he turned to Taoism instead. He would practice contacting spirits, which he claimed he could actually see with his physical eyes.

However, one time he went to China to visit a sifu (teacher) supposedly to learn to acquire higher power. The teacher told him to convince a group of idol worshippers to donate a sum of money, which he felt was not right and refused. The sifu got angry and from that time his troubles began. The evil spirits would harass him and tried to take over his mind and body. They would force him to cut his arms and legs with a razor blade so that he would bleed profusely. His neighbors thought he was deranged and would avoid him, calling him a mad man, which he understood because he still had his senses, just unable to control himself.

His older sister heard about it and phoned to warn him not to meddle with demons, but the demon inside him used his voice to answer, “If I do not die, I cannot save others”. During one particularly severe attack the demons told him to stab himself. Unable to resist, he closed the bathroom door, took a sharp knife, and plunged it into his left chest, then fell to the ground. His wife returned home and found the bathroom door half closed, but was unable to push it open because he was lying on the floor and blocking the way. She quickly called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. The knife missed his heart by an inch. Had it punctured his heart he would have been dead.

The older sister found out and told him to renounce all ties with the spirits, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. When the demons visited him again to try to harm him, he called out Jesus name and the demons kept quiet, unable to hurt him. After he recovered and was discharged from hospital, he went to a local church and committed his life to Jesus Christ. When the demons came again to hound him, at first he tried to run away, but couldn’t. Seeing that he could not shake them off, he cried out Jesus’ name. Immediately the demons fled. He knew the power of Jesus’ name, and followed Jesus wholeheartedly from that point on. That was three years ago, and the spirits had not bothered him again.

He found out from first hand experience the truth of Jas 2:19 “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble.” Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Don’t mess around with idols and mediums. They will only harm you. Place your trust in the One True God. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Php 2:10). Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13).

Spiritual Fruit 3

As we shared last time, when you witness, sometimes you get unexpected results. One will be taken, and the other left (Lk 17:34-36). Such was the case of two women we visited. We went to a super located near the Panama-Costa Rica border, where many native Indians live. When we arrived, we saw two women who are sisters-in-law managing the store, as the owner and his wife’s older brother had gone to Panama City.

The owner’s wife had been in Panama many years, and a good number of short-term mission teams had visited her. She would refuse to listen to the gospel, and would accept only the Christian magazines we brought as they did not have much Chinese reading material. Her sister-in-law, however, came from China only two months ago, and had never heard the gospel before. When we offered to tell her the good news in simple terms, she readily accepted.

We showed her a picture of a happy family of three generations, and explained that God intended people to have a joyful and abundant life. Yet few realized this ideal because of SIN, which separates us from a holy God. When asked what does “sin” mean to her, she answered “murder and stealing”. We affirmed that certainly those are sins, but God’s standard is very much higher than ours, and anything that fails to meet His requirements is sin. Sin could be committing things we should not do (e.g. lying, gossiping, lustful thoughts, greed, abuse of power etc.), or omitting things we should do (e.g. honoring one’s parents, loving your neighbor etc.).

Now everything has a consequence. When you sow melons, you harvest melons. When you sow beans, you harvest beans. What do you get when you sow sin? The reward is spiritual death or hell. Most sane people do not wish to end up in hell. But just as a person who can’t swim pull himself up by pulling his hair, we can’t save ourselves by trying to be good, as we simply lacked the power. What then should we do?

God loves us and do not wish to see us ending up in hell, so He sent His own Son Jesus Christ to take our place. We told her Jesus is truly God and truly man. As God He is rightfully our Lord. As man He died on the cross and became our Savior. He was crucified to pay the penalty for our sins and to offer us eternal life. The good news is that eternal life is a free gift which we can receive by faith. If she repents and receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, trusting in Him alone and nothing else, she will be saved.

We asked, “Does this make sense to you?” She nodded and said, “Yes.” “Do you want to receive Christ and have your sins forgiven?” “Yes! I do!” We confirmed her understanding by asking several clarifying questions, and had the joy of leading her through the sinner’s prayer. Another sister was ushered into His Kingdom. Hallelujah! The one we initially wanted to witness to declined. The one we never expected to meet received and was saved. God gave many surprises as you serve Him!

Spiritual Fruit 2

We visited a good number of supers in David. Some were manned by only the husband or the wife at the cashier. With customers coming and going, there really was little opportunity to share the gospel. For those with both spouses behind the counter, we were able to share with one spouse while the other looked after the cash register. Some listened to the gospel but declined to commit because they have been worshipping idols all their life. Others refused because they have been gambling and did not want to quit. Still others rejected because they have heard the good news for the first time, and needed time to think it through. However, several were ready because the Holy Spirit had prepared their hearts. They listened with gladness and opened their hearts to receive the Lord. Such a case is Mr. W.

When we arrived, both husband and wife were in the super. We asked whether they can spare 5 minutes so that we can share the gospel with them. To our delight the wife invited us to go to their living quarters in the back so that we can talk more quietly. After she described the hard lives they have here, we shared the gospel with her using a booklet as she listened attentively. To make sure she had understood, we paused periodically to ask her opinion on what we presented before proceeding to the next point. She did not have any objections. So after we presented the fact of sin and its consequences, the availability of imputed righteousness in Christ, and the certainty of judgment, we asked whether she is willing to receive the Lord as her Savior, to which she readily replied yes.

To ensure that we do not have a false conversion due to an emotional response, we asked several clarification questions. She affirmed that she is willing to believe in Christ alone, that she accepts Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and that she is prepared to repent and follow God. We led her through the sinner’s prayer, and had the joy of witnessing a new sister entering the Kingdom of Heaven. We then asked whether we can share with her husband too, and she offered to relieve her husband at the cash register so that he can come to listen as well.

He also listened politely, but declined the invitation as he was raised as an atheist in China. Although he did not accept the theory of evolution because he thought it very hard to believe “nothing” created “everything”, he was not ready to follow Christ yet, as he did not know Him well enough. We do not believe in hard-sell and therefore did not push him. Instead, we encouraged him to seek the Lord by reading the literature we left behind, as His promise is “seek and ye shall find”.

Truly the Lord had come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Mt 10:35). When He comes, one will be taken and the other left (Mt 24:40-41). We just prayed that the husband’s refusal is only temporary, and that he too will respond before it is too late.

Changuinola Photos 3

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1 Chirique Grande – a fishing village with a wharf, which was subsequently moved to Boca del Toro, another fishing village
2 A sister treated us to giant crab claws, which costs $2.50 a lb.
3 We visited a fruit farm on the way. The farm grows a variety of fruits, mainly mamon chino, which we call Western lychee. The farm has a river full of crocodiles running through it. If you throw a chicken carcass in, the crocodiles will suddenly appear to fight for the rotten meat.
4 Western lychee
5 Bread fruit. The fruit’s texture and taste are like that of yam. You have to cut off the skin and boil it before you can eat it.
6 Star fruit, the type we used to eat around Mid-Autumn Festival.
7 A peasant or “pearl” chicken. It is very difficult to catch them as they can fly. It is also rare because they lay their eggs anywhere they like, and don’t stay to hatch them. The farmers have to visit the places they frequent and pick up the eggs to hatch them. As such, they are not in large supply and costs $35 each, compared to $5-6 each for chicken.

Saved by a Flood

Four Changuinola brothers and sisters took turns to take us out for visitation, each taking a morning or afternoon shift. One of them shared with us his testimony. He ran a super near a river bank. The pastor and short-term mission teams would visit him, but he refused to listen as he was raised in China, which education system is officially atheistic.

Then six or seven years ago, there was torrential rain in his area. Rainfall in tropical Panama are usually very heavy, unlike the drizzle we have in Toronto. The streets would be flooded with water a few inches deep, but the drains are wide and the water would subside a few minutes after the rain stopped. Typically the rain would stop within a couple of hours; sometimes it would last for a whole day. But this time the rain was so heavy the entire days that the runoff from the mountains swelled the river, and eventually the small dam holding the water back broke.

Water rushed into this brother’s store. At first he tried to move the merchandise on the lower shelves to the higher ones, but the water level kept rising. When the cold, muddy water rose to waist-high, there was no more room to move his goods higher. Helplessly he watched the water rose even higher to chest deep before the rain finally stopped and the water began to recede. As he surveyed his inventory, about 80% were destroyed. All the bakery items perished, as did most goods packaged in cellophane wraps. Only canned and bottled goods in sealed containers survived.

Remarkably, a Bible which his Christian friend gave him was untouched. The other items on the same shelf were damaged, but not the Bible! There was a little water stain around the edges, but not the inside, which one would expect to be soaked just like the other books and papers on the shelf. Amazed, he sought out his friend and asked him to explain who is this God of the Bible. The friend was glad that he finally turned around, and shared with him the gospel of Jesus Christ. The One he had stubbornly rejected the past few years, he now enthusiastically embraced. Over the next several years he diligently studied the Bible, and has now become the bible study leader of his church.

His story is interesting but not atypical. God loves us all, but He uses different means to get our attention. To the humble He sends grace, but to the proud sometimes He has to send calamity before they will take notice. Saul zealously persecuted the Christians until God struck him blind. Previously he was able to see, but blind to the truth. Then he became blind, so that he can see the pitiful reality of his spiritual condition, and became the zealous Paul. God does the same with some of us who are proud and arrogant in resisting the truth. He knocks us flat on our backs so we can finally look up to heaven and see how puny we are. Don’t wait till God strike you down before you commit your life to Him. Do it earlier during the period of grace. Don’t be a Pharaoh, submitting only after repeated plagues. Be wise, not foolish.

From Gambler to Disciple

A sister we knew from our last STM drove us west from Santiago to David, where we met up with a brother who drove us to Changuinola, a town close to the border with Costa Rica and near the Caribbean Sea. West of Santiago, the Inter-America Highway climbs across mountains and changes from a four-lane divided highway into a two-lane winding road as it follows the terrain. Traffic is sparse and the hills are lush green because of the abundant rainfall. Occasionally you see farmers riding on horseback along the road, giving you a quiet, peaceful feeling, in sharp contrast to Panama City where people feel anxious and are wary. Changuinola itself is a small town in the province of Boca del Toro, home of countless banana plantations, where Chiquita has its headquarters and employs more than 5,000 workers.

This brother who accompanied us used to be a gambler for many years. Even as a youth in China, he would go to the next village to play mahjong for two days straight, until he lost all his money. He had other vices too, including smoking and drinking. Humanly speaking, he was a basket case. After he came to Panama, he continued his bad habits. One time he went to the casino to play blackjacks and won US$10,000 in an evening. He was very happy and continued to “chase his luck” the next time, raising the stakes higher and higher to $500 each hand, only to lose US$30,000 in one evening. As is common among problem gamblers, he accumulated lots of debts and was hounded by loan sharks. A friend told him to go to church to see if he can kick the bad habit. In desperation, he thought he would give God a try, as he had no one else to turn to, and nothing more to lose.

The first time he went to the Chinese church in David, the church was closed as it was not a scheduled meeting time. He noted the posted meeting schedule and went again the following week, but the church was still closed, even though it was the correct time for prayer meeting. He gave up and thought he would forget about church. The next week he simply wanted to take a drive with his wife to break the boredom and release the pressure, but took a wrong turn and ended up in front of the church. This time the pastor and a sister were in, so they went to church for the first time. In his mind he had given up trying God, but God had not given up on him. So they stayed and continued to join the bible study.

Miraculously, his addiction to gambling stopped after his first time to church, and he had not played mahjong or been to the casino ever since. That was over four years ago. Not only that, he also lost the urge to smoke and drink. He and his wife continued in the fellowship, and after a year were baptized together. He learned to serve in the evangelism department, taking time away from his super to distribute CCM (Chinese Christian Mission) Monthly to Chinese stores. This is rare among brothers and sisters because most would dedicate their time to their business, not the things of God. He also stopped selling cigarettes and liquor in his super, two high profit-margin items. In return, God gave him good profits in selling fire-crackers, a product not carried by other supers because it is seasonal. His story is one of 180 degrees change from a gambler to a disciple. In deed God honors those who honor Him. What about you? Is your testimony one that God can use to attract people to Him?

Spiritual Fruit 1

We are very glad to be used by God to lead a sister’s mother to the Lord. She is in her mid-50’s, and had been in Panama for about 10 years. Ever since her arrival her daughter had brought her to church, and she had seen three pastors come and go, our host pastors being the fourth to take up the pastorate in this church. Many, including short-term mission teams, have shared the gospel with her in the past. Intellectually she understood very clearly who Christ is and what He had done for her, but what stood in the way of her becoming a believer was the conduct of some Christians, which leave a lot to be desired.

Although she did not have much education, she saw that some only honor God with their lips, but their hearts were actually far from Him, and their behavior became a stumbling block to others becoming a Christian – “I am better than he/she is. If that’s how a Christian behaves, I want no part in it.” She also had a strong opinion on many things, prefacing her answer with a sigh and ending with “isn’t it true?” When we asked her where does she stand in relation to God, she answered in the third person, “The most important thing is to have the right heart, and not just say I believe.” When we followed up by asking, “Do you believe?”, she would not give a direct answer, but reiterated “just believing with the heart is enough.” Her response to other queries are similarly technically correct but non-committal.

After a few more rounds of “sparring”, we told her, “Don’t worry about other people. They have to stand before God to give an account of how they have run their life, just as we have to answer to God for ourselves. Now, when God ask you ‘What have you done to my Son, what is your answer?’ You understood the essence of the gospel but have stood outside heaven’s door. Isn’t it time to come in? Don’t let others’ failure to live up to their belief trip you up from entering the Kingdom. That would be a terrible tragedy. Would you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Confronted with which eternality – heaven or hell – she would choose, she finally said yes, she is willing to accept Jesus. We asked our host pastor to pray for her, then C-Mo to lead her through the sinner’s prayer. There were several pairs of wet eyes as we finished praying, as there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

When you share the gospel with unbelievers, we need to persuade without being pushy. Many non-Christians are turned off by Christians who are over-zealous when they witness, and would avoid them when they see them approaching. There is no need to use hard-sell. We are not pushing a product, but are presenting the most precious gift which no money can buy. Don’t be pushy. On the other hand, we often give up without really trying. People are hesitant as they are making the most important decision of their life. As well, Satan will try to prevent the individual from coming to Christ. So gentle persuasion is needed. Paul persuaded. Acts 26:28 You almost persuade me to become a Christian. 2 Co 5:11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. So should we.

Changuinola Photos 2

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1 Banana plantations, the primary industry in Changuinola
2 A fruit called guanabana. It tastes sweet and tangy and is excellent when blended with yogurt.
3 A new sister who received the Lord as her Savior. Her chubby son is three and a half years old.
4 Bridge spanning Panama and Costa Rica at Changuinola. The two countries are separated by only a river.
5 Prayer meeting scheduled at 10 PM but often did not start until 11 PM, as people close up shop at 10, then have dinner before they come.
6 A sister who runs an almacen or clothing store.
7 C-Mo wielding a machete. They cost $3.25 to $4 each and are used to cut long grass, but are sometimes misused for robbery.
8 Main street in Chiriqui Grande, a village that used to host the region’s vegetables market. The woman in the middle is wearing the traditional costume of the native Indians.

Changuinola Photos 1

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1 Sister who acted as our guide, interpreter, driver, and chef, and treated us like honored guests. Without her we would be a lame duck in David.
2 Home of the brother who drove us from David to Changuinola. His house is on the second floor, on top of his store, and very spacious compared to the typical crowded quarters at the rear of the store. He is a reformed gambler and now serves in the evangelism department. He also opened many doors for us to share the gospel.
3 Changuinola church.
4 The church is a rented house with 3 bedrooms. C-Mo was looking at the watermelon patch in front of the house.
5 The church is right next to the domestic airport, so all local people know where it is.
6 The living and dining rooms are opened up to make the sanctuary. The congregation has to set up for every service.
7 Our bedroom, equipped with air-conditioning. Often there is no water in the afternoon. Sometimes there is no electricity. The town is like the New Territories 50 years ago.

More Robbery Incidents 2

We visited a super in Pocri, twin town to Aguadulce, and home of lots of drug addicts and therefore armed robbery. The owner had been there since 1992, and had seen the crime rate soar while safety and security plummet during the last twenty years. His super has a low ceiling, which made it easy for thieves and robbers to enter through the corrugated metal roof. But the most serious time involved two robbers entering through the front entrance.

The store is near a school, with a vacant field in between. Since the field was unattended, grass grew to 5 or 6 ft. tall, and people can hide in it without being detected. Two black drug addicts hid themselves in the tall grass and waited till closing time. When they observed that the store was vacant, they rushed out as the owner was about to pull the iron curtain shut. One pointed his gun at his forehead, the other grabbed his wife and pressed a sharp knife against her stomach.

The owner was not the type to be intimidated. He saw the red, half-crazed eyes of the gunman, and knew that they were high on drugs. So he started scolding them in Spanish, saying “You animals, my dog is better than you. I don’t have any money, but I have one life. Come and get it. If you touch my wife I’ll kill you.” I have no idea how he can shout at the robbers when a loaded gun was pointing at him! The robbers did not give up so easily. They felt his pant pockets to get his wallet, but found little cash in it. In desperation they took the heavy cash register and started running away on foot. One of the super’s client’s happened to drive by, and helped the owner chased down the robbers in his pickup truck. Finding that the truck was about to run over them, they threw the cash register down and disappeared into the tall grass.

Incidents like these are getting more and more frequent. Almost all supers have been robbed, some more than once. Why did the owners put their lives and the lives of their family at risk? The only thing I can think of is a distorted value system that places money above people. Mt 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mk 8:36, Lk 9:25. Such is the thinking of people without Christ. Pray that the gospel will get to them soon and turn their worldview around.