Release of Rights

Before we went on our recent STM trip, we signed a release of rights form with our mission agency. I thought it might be instructive to share it with our church members, as time and again we see problems arising in families and churches caused by people insisting on their rights, not their obligations. So, quoting directly from the form, here is the release:

I give up my right to:
• a comfortable bed
• 3 meals a day
• familiar food
• dress fashionably
• seeing results
• control of myself
• control of others
• control of circumstances
• making decisions
• taking up offenses
• being successful
• being understood
• being heard
• being right

I entrust to God:
• my strength and endurance
• my health and strength
• my likes and dislikes of food
• my security in Him
• His purposes and fruit in His timing
• my need for His Spirit control
• His workmanship in others
• my circumstances to His purposes in making me Christ-like
• the privilege of suffering for His sake
• His sovereign hand on my life
• my deepest needs
• my security in His love
• my reputation
•my need for recognition
• my need for His righteousness

I give God permission to do anything He wishes to me, with me, in me, or through me that would glorify Him.

Airport Security

We’ve travelled to quite a few places around the world. In comparing our experience in entering/exiting different countries via air travel, some are more efficient than others. For example, Taiwan has a very fast process, because they deploy more x-ray scanners. Not that they have few travelers – they have many, but you really have to hurry to take out your laptop for scanning because the lines move so fast! Japan and Canada are about average when it comes to speed, but the US is really something else.

Scanning hand-carry luggage

We were flying from Taipei via Tokyo and Detroit back to Toronto. There were no hassles during the Tokyo stopover, just re-scanning the carry-on luggage. The experience in Detroit was quite different. At present there are several steps in processing an air passenger, even if you are just making connecting flights and not staying in the US. First there is immigration, where they check your passport, and reserve the right to take your photo and fingerprints, at the officer’s discretion.

Photo and fingerprint

Then you pick up ALL your luggage to go through customs. It does not matter if you’ve checked your luggage all the way to your final destination, and all you want to do is to catch your next flight, you have to retrieve everything to go through customs. If the long lines cause you to miss your flight, that’s just too bad. After customs you deposit your checked-in luggage at the airline counter, then proceed to hand-carry scanning and body-check.

Metal detector

Most other countries will scan your luggage and make you walk through a metal detector. If need be, they’ll also use a wand for body-check. In the US you have to be subjected to a full-body scan, and they may give you a pat-down by hand if you wear pants with cloth or elastic belts, because the waist-bands are thicker and therefore suspicious. They may also use a cotton swab to wipe your hands to detect chemicals, after which you are free to go, assuming everything turns up negative.

Full-body scan

For all the extra measures, are they more secure and safer? Not necessarily. You need to look up actual statistics to prove the point, but nominal evidence from the news seems to indicate that the US is no more secure against acts of terrorism than other countries with less invasive procedures. For sure it’s more cumbersome and less efficient. Ps 127:1 is true – Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. When an administration departs from the Lord, its efforts are futile. If you want homeland security, return to the Bible, otherwise everything is in vain.

Farewell

Farewell lunch

Time flies when you are having a good time. Our two-months short-term mission whizzed by before we realized it had come to an end. What started with a welcome lunch came full circle to end with a farewell luncheon. I guess relationships run more smoothly around the dinner table, especially among Orientals. But in the mean time initial barriers put up by culture, race, age and whatever came crashing down one-by-one as we prayed together, worshipped together, and worked side-by-side, should-to-shoulder to advance His kingdom. When we began we did not know anybody in Taiwan. When we left we’ve made two dozen friends who asked us to return to join them. We are open to wherever God leads us, but wherever we go, we thank the Lord we can find like-minded comrades putting their rights and privileges aside to serve Him. Praise God for missions and missionaries.

Monkey see, monkey do!

FAITH Evangelism

Another missionary shared with the Philippines STM team her gospel presentation called FAITH evangelism, which she edited based on “A Journey in Faith” by Bobby Welch and Doug Williams, LifeWay Press. Since I’m always looking out for good gospel outlines, here’s one that is simple and easy to remember. I quote from the training notes:

F stands for FORGIVENESS. We ALL need God’s forgiveness. For since He created all things, we can know Him through the world He has made. Yet we have forgotten to give Him thanks and honor Him with our lives.
• Rom 1:20-21 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

A is for AVAILABLE. God’s forgiveness is already prepared for YOU.
• Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I is for IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible for anything unclean to get into Heaven.
• Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The Bible says we ALL sinned. Sin makes us unclean.
• Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

T stands for TURN. What should you do when you discover you’ve gone down the wrong road? TURN around! Turn from your sin and living life without God. Turn to Jesus, God’s Son who loved you enough to die on the cross for YOUR sins, and mine!
• 1 Co 15:3b-4 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

H stands for HEAVEN. Jesus said He came to give LIFE! He said He would make ALL who put their trust in Him His very own children, and that He is preparing a place in Heaven for them.
• Jn 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
• Jn 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
• Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Tabernacle Approach to Prayer

Tabernacle 3D view

As part of the orientation to the Philippines short-term team, our missionary hosts shared with them their approaches to prayer and evangelism. She gets up at 3 AM every morning to pray. Her prayer goes through five steps using the five pieces of equipment or furniture in the outer courtyard and Holy Place of the tabernacle or the temple, as follows:

1. Altar of burnt offering – where sacrifices were offered. First there must be death to self, otherwise a sinner cannot approach God.
2. Bronze laver – in which the priests cleansed themselves. Next there must be cleansing through God’s word. Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14).
3. Golden lampstand – which provided light within the Holy Place. After the first two steps a person is already cleansed and is shining.
4. Table of showbread – on which the bread of Presence was placed. She sees this as the person offering his life for others’ benefit.
5. Altar of incense – where burning incense was offered continuously to the Lord. Here our host prayed for the nations until she hears a word from God.

The first two pieces were placed in the outer courtyard. She interprets this as the soul saved, with which we know God in natural revelation with our five senses. The next three pieces were in the Holy Place, and interpreted as the spirit sanctified. Here we know God with our spirit.

There is actually a sixth piece, the Ark of the Covenant, in the Most Holy Place. She believes that if we enter into the Holy of Holies, there will be direct revelation from God, we will see God’s glory, and as we wait upon God, our spirit will be immersed in the Holy Spirit. However, she claimed that she had not entered into God’s presence yet, so cannot tell us from first hand experience.

I might add that some scholars see each “furniture” as one aspect of Christ’s person or work:
1. Brazen altar – the cross of Christ atoning for our sins and saving sinners;
2. Laver – Christ our sanctification (1 Co 1:30) cleansing sinners;
3. Lampstand – Christ as light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5) giving light to sinners;
4. Showbread – Christ as bread of life (Jn 6:35, 48) fellowshipping with sinners;
5. Incense altar – Christ our Intercessor;
6. The Ark – Christ the Word personified.

This is a helpful way to think through our relationship with the Lord and go through adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. How’s your prayer life? Maybe this discipline will help your spiritual formation.

Tabernacle floor plan

Spiritual Warfare

To most pastors in developed countries, spiritual warfare may be just a subject they studied in bible college or seminary. But to many missionaries in the Third World, spiritual warfare is a reality they have to contend with, sometimes at great personal cost.

In the Fall of 2011, the church-planting team in Chiayi province was surveying the towns in search of a location for their church plant. Part of the preparation involved prayer walks to observe the condition of the “land”, to “plough the soil”, and to claim the neighborhood for Christ. One particular community in Beigang with the largest Mazu temple in the area proved to be one of Satan’s strongholds, where a spiritual battle with casualties was fought.

Beigang Chaotian Temple

The team was engaged in a “Jericho walk”, driving around the temple seven times as the distance was too long to walk. As they drove around the seventh time and prayed out loud for God to bind and cast out the dark forces, one missionary saw black smoke in the form of a Chinese dragon rushing skyward. She was startled but did not know what it meant. However, shortly thereafter the team leader was struck by a strange disease.

He went to preach one evening before Christmas, but the following day lost all memory of what happened the day before. He went through his appointment book, but could not recall any of the meetings he attended or the people he met. Some thought he had a stroke because of work stress, but no medical causes could be discovered. The result was that he had to step down from his position as leader to recover, and the whole team suffered a setback as he was the champion behind the vision they shared.

Some feel the timing was only a coincidence, but others believe that it was the enemy attacking the health of key members to disable their church-planting campaign. However you interpret it, the leadership vacuum did cause the team to lose momentum as temporary measures were put in place until a long-term replacement could be found.

Satan will use any tactic to harm God’s people to hurt His cause. Some Christian leaders fell because of money, others sex, still others power. For those who do not succumb to such temptations, he might use persecution or physical attacks, including illness. Pray for your leaders. They are the target because when they fall, they bring down many with them. Know the reality of spiritual warfare. Put on the full armor of God. It is the only way you can stand and advance.

Whole Armor of God

Alishan

We visited Plum Mountain Green Lake Tea Plantation (http://www.ttvs.cy.edu.tw/kcc/960311ta/p1.htm), within Alishan (Mount Ali) National Scenic Area, Taiwan’s most visited national park. Alishan is not a single mountain, but a mountain range averaging 2,500 meters tall. However, instead of taking the famous Alishan Forest Railway or going by bus, which are filled with tourists, we went to Plum Mountain (elevation 1,200 meters), which has few tourists as the roads are too narrow for large tour buses, but just as beautiful in the midst of a sea of clouds.

The slopes are populated by a large Oolong tea plantation, whose owner treated us to sample their products to induce us to buy. As part of our prayer walk, we went to the peak of the tea hill to claim Taiwan for Christ. Alishan along with Sun Moon Lake are not to be missed if you visit Taiwan.

Alishan National Scenic Area

Alishan Green Lake Tea Plantation (altitude 1,200 m.)

Tea bushes on mountain side.

Oolong tea flower

Oolong fruit.

Shop owner treating us to tea.

Claiming Taiwan for Christ on top of Alishan.

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.

Continue the efforts of the predecessors. Open the field for those who follow.

Philippines Short-Term Team

We were glad to be able to join a short-term mission team from the Philippines who came to Taiwan for a two-week trip. It consisted of a mobilizer (a retired SEND missionary to Taiwan) from the Philippines Sending Council as team leader, a worship pastor from a large Filipino church (2,500 attendees), and two school teachers. They came from different churches, and joined to see if God is leading them to serve here short-term (for 2-3 years).

For North Americans on a higher standard of living, a short-term trip costing several thousand US$ may not be significant. But for our Asian brothers and sisters, even though the airfare is much cheaper because of the shorter distance, a thousand dollar trip is a major undertaking. Their two-week trip costs 37,000 pesos, about US$900 ( US$1 = 41 pesos). But with Gross Domestic Product per capita (total annual output per person) at US$4,430 with purchasing power parity (i.e. taking local prices of goods and services into consideration), the $900 is equivalent to 20% of the annual income of the average person! So a STM trip is a big burden, and needs support from the church. Yet many of them have a heart for missions and hope to be used by God to reach many for Christ. Two members of the STM are in fact considering that. Pray that the Lord will send more workers to the harvest.

Presenting a song sung in Amoy ( 廈門話), a Hokkien dialect

Hot pot dinner at NT$100 (US$3.50) each

Distributing tracts in night market.

Orientation at missionary’s home.

Packaging Grace Meal.

With Grace Meal recipients.

Church-Planting Workshop

We were very glad to be invited to join a workshop hosted by the mission agency for all her workers, on the development phases of church-planting (CP). There were 13 career missionary participants in 6 CP teams, who used the book “Global Church Planting” by Craig Ott and Gene Wilson (Baker) as a frame of reference. Each team compared their current experience to the biblical principles and best practices cited in the book, to gain insight into how they can improve their strategy and implementation.

Since it was only a half-day workshop, they were able to cover only the following:
1. Before Launching
a. Targeting and Commissioning
b. Understanding and Strategizing
2. Launching – Evangelizing and Discipleship
3. Establishing – Congregating and Maturing
Each team charted their progress using metrics given in the book, and it was very exciting to see milestones accomplished and yet to be achieved.

Discussion of the last two phases:
4. Structuring – Expanding and Empowering, and
5. Reproducing – Strengthening and Sending
will have to wait till next time, due to time limitations.

Essentially we got a glimpse of CP as insiders, from the ground up, something money can’t buy. It was like being in the “Situation Room” observing as the event unfolds. We were very thankful for the valuable insights shared, and got an appreciation of the hard work and challenges involved in CP. Thank God for church-planters on the front-line waging spiritual warfare on enemy territory. They liberate captives for Christ to advance His Kingdom, and are worthy of your support. Pray for them and supply their needs. It’s one of the best investments you can make.

Folklore Park

Folklore Museum

We visited the Taichung Folklore Park: http://www.taiwan-story.com.tw/ which took us on a journey into Taiwan’s way of life a century ago.
The park consists of 3 parts:
• Folklore Museum,
• Folk Arts Museum, and
• Landscape Garden.

Garden Lotus Pond

The Folklore Museum is a traditional four-section compound, with the main hall at the center housing the ancestor shrines, living and dining areas, with the master bedroom and recreation room attached. On the east wing is the study, and on the west wing is the living quarter for the son’s family. The basement houses 2,000 pieces of antiques, including dresses, household utensils, farm implements, transportation equipment etc.

Folklore Museum Main Entrance

The Folk Arts Museum is a two-storey building which houses a tea house and several stores selling various handicrafts, toys and snacks. Of particular interest is a souvenir shop which owner collects one-of-a kind items for display or resale. Lastly the Garden consists of a lotus pond with large golden carps, a pavilion, a bridge, and covered corridors. The whole complex gives one an unhurried stroll down memory lane to a time when life is simpler. It is a hidden gem worth a visit.

Folk Arts Museum Entrance

Ching Dynasty shoes when women bind their feet

Opium pipes, the addiction that ruined the country.

Porcelain pillow used in my grandma’s generation.