God, I cry out to you on behalf of the city of Bangkok
I ask you for its redemption
Would you change this city, from top to bottom, from inside out
Bring about a new creation, a new beauty, the vision of the new Jerusalem
I believe this city is not forsaken, but is a city sought out
Despite the ugliness, despite the sin, despite the pollution, despite the prostitution, this is a city that you love
Despite the traffic, despite the police and government corruption, despite the darkness of a nation worshipping idols, you have not forgotten this place
Despite the poverty and the slums and the wide gap between the rich and the poor
Despite a system that keeps poor kids out of 7th grade for lack of $100
While the rich kids pay extra tutors not expecting to get any worthwhile instruction in the actual school
You love this city, I believe you do
God would you change all this, change this city
Tear away the sex industry, wipe it out completely
I praise you Lord for Rahab, Nightlight, The Well, New Beginnings, and all the others
But they can’t do it on their own, help them O Lord, and convict this entire society
Bring conviction that Thailand would repent of the attitudes that uphold such an “industry” as this
Let the good news come to the poor
In every slum and every flat
May your church be born
In homes and hang out places
In shacks, rooms and under tamarind trees
May your people, even the poor of Bangkok
No, I won’t call them blessed and romanticize their condition, I read Dallas Willard again
They’re just not cursed and bad karma, like the Jews of your day and the “Buddhists” of my day would tend to think - even though Moses and Buddha never would’ve said such a thing
May your people, even the poor of Bangkok, in 2000 slums and squatter communities and countless flats and projects
See that you are Lord and this is good news
Show it in power and relationship
Cast out demons and heal my neighbors
Bring the church to their door rather than asking them to find us in some beautiful “sanctuary”
Transform worldviews, open the door to the eternal kind of life, the kingdom of God’s rule rushing all about us
For a people who won’t hardly crack a book, would you bring people directly into your story and show them that you’re going to continue writing the story through them
(to be continued)
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November 15, 2007 at 5:51 am
Debbie Chang
Thanks, Dave. That really makes me appreciate the faith Jesus had in us, knowing that the Holy Spirit would remind his disciples of everything He said and did.
December 28, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Albert Ruiz
Wow! this is good stuff. My wife is Buddhist we’ve been married for little more than six years. I was Catholic at the time, so in didn’t really bother me about her religion and all, besides she never really talks about it. It’s been about a year now since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior but sharing the good news with a Buddhist!, I never thought it would be so difficult. For one thing I had no idea they do not believe in God or that sin wasn’t an issue for them. Now, by some act of God, I am living with my sister-in-law’s house, with their mom and to little girls all whom are from Thailand. I’m still growing in my faith but one thing I am sure of is that Jesus Lives and that God is real. I’m looking for Thai-Christian stuff (books,videos,etc.). That would help me for the Glory of God, How to bring the Gospel to Thais who don’t believe in God. If you could help me that would be so wonderful. As of now what you wrote is tremendously inspiring and I want to Thank You from the bottom of my heart for helping to bring a nation caught in Idolatry to the Truth. God Bless You Always. Peace
January 4, 2008 at 3:19 pm
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March 13, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Anonymous
Thank you for this entry, which was introduced to me by my home church lay ministry staff for missions, Andre de Winne. My wife and I have been in Japan since 2002, and we are also committed to communicating the Gospel in a relevant way to our Japanese friends. Unsurprisingly, we too have faced similar questions about the danger of syncretism in our endeavours to contextualise the faith here, so this article is a breath of fresh air for us.
May 20, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Melanie Currie
I met you while you were speaking at Urbana Missions Conference a year and a half ago. You gave me your card, and I was hoping to meet up with you now that I’m also working in Bangkok. If you could, give me a email.
May 27, 2008 at 11:12 am
Dave W
Thankyou, very helpful and much to ponder,
I’d be interested to know if there were any valid
alternatives to using the Thai word ‘Prajaw’ for
God. It seems to be loaded with too much baggage, suggesting distance, hierarchy, polytheism etc
Maybe there a Thai word for ‘love’ , or a new combination could be created, joining together two words (language is always being created) to suggest a transcendent source of love. As John 1:4:8 proclaims, ‘God is love’. Maybe this would resonate better with the average Thai layperson.
like the blog, God bless
November 6, 2008 at 9:47 am
Vilen
And you do not accidentally from Moscow?