Missions?

September 10
“It is the Holy Spirit who calls you to be on mission. Satan would never tempt you to missionary service.” -Henry Blackaby
"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" -- David Livingstone

Why Missions?
So why would anyone go to another country to tell people about Christ? Why go to a place where another language is spoken, the food is strange, and you have to squat over a hole to go to the bathroom? Shouldn't we worry about our "own backyard"?
We work to establish Christian community among peoples without access to the gospel because it is God's plan for us - and it makes us happy. God's gift of salvation produces joy in us that can't be contained. Missions is an overflow of the joy and mercy that God has given us. It's got to come out! Knowing that, for some reason, God chose for us to know Him, is astounding. Knowing that there are many people in the world that couldn't know this same joy because there is no one to tell them is heartbreaking.
Every day, people die without ever having known Christ or the true purpose for their existence. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you had never been given the opportunity to know God? What if you had never experienced the joy and peace in knowing your eternal destiny? We the church have the incredible privilege of working side by side with God Himself to reach those who otherwise would be unreached. God makes it clear to us in His Word that our most basic reason for being is to glorify Him. We also know that God is glorified when people come to know Him. God will receive most glory when all the nations are reached. There are hundreds of nations (people groups) that are still completely unreached. As we work to reach these people we change the world one life at a time.
Because History Awaits the Fulfillment of the Promise (Matt 24:14) – Not sure how it’s all going to play out, but if God has promised that all nations are reached and Jesus says here that the gospel will be preached to all nations…then the end will come – it just seems logical. The story of history seems to be arranged on the thread of this mission, even the history we are a part of today. That is exciting!

I thought you might like to have a few quick facts about THAILAND.
Map of LostnessThe map shows the percentage of lost in each region. The black-colored regions are areas of the world where there are few if any believers in Christ. The white regions show a high percentage of people who profess Christianity. The United States represents one of the few areas of the world where the majority of the population professes Christianity.


The Asian ChallengeThis chart shows the distribution of people throughout parts of the world. Asia clearly makes up the majority of the population. This chart presents a strong challenge to take the gospel to areas such as Asia, where there are few if any followers of Christ.

(The above information I got off the International Missions Board web site.)

Quick facts about ThailandPopulation: About 65.5 millionEthnic groups: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, various other groups 11%Capitol: BangkokReligion: 94.6% Buddhist, 4.6% Muslim, 0.7% Christian, 0.1% various otherThe three provinces in the south have a Muslim majority. Most of the Buddhists in the country are from the Theravada tradition, a conservative form of the religion.Traditionally founded in 1238, Thailand was never colonized by a European power. The word "Thai" actually means freedom. Today Thailand faces challenges such as the seperatist movement in the south, and the threat of disease, especially AIDS.The beauty of Thailand has drawn an unusual number of tourists over the years. Not only is the country breathtaking, the history of temples and ancient kingdoms fascinate people around the world.The national sport of Thailand is Muay Thai, Thia Boxing.

Picture of a Buddha Temp
A little bit of our heart to reach the lost for the Glory of God!