To spread His glory…"Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen." (Ps. 72:18-19)
I received an update from one of our national partners. As you know one of the highlights of our mission in February was planting seeds through passing out the gospel of Luke. One of our requests was that our national evangelist would return to ask who had read the gospel, if they had any questions, and if they wanted to learn more.
Serving with National Evangelists
It is important to remember that this is not like in America, there is dangerous opposition, especially by the Muslim Fundamentalist. Our man went back to the field and I received this email from him. The English is a little broken but I think you can interpret what he is saying.
Yesterday I went to follow-ups to the Chawdhuri village at Kharulia area that first we distributed book of Luke there. and I met 20 villager. I asked to Kobir Hosain, Alam and sajjad they said they it the book but they asked me a question that, why am there what reason for? where I from? and same time one person asked that, oh! you came here for observed us? you are Christian? Their motivations are not right to me so I left the area as soon as possible. the villager look like good people but some peoples are dangerous.
This morning I went to Banglabazar area and came through Khurulskul that same directions we came. and first I met some shopkeepers business man asked me same few questions and answer them my ways. and asked them about the books, 10 out of 50 peoples said they like the book. But they don’t want to know more and no one said they believe but they are trying. said Allah great no one ells like him so don’t try to blame us. I said please try to me understand I came for here not blame you I just came than I left the place. And all the way I came through I met 15 villager they are also said they read they don’t have time for me they quick leave the place where I was. And than I back home.
Praise God how he protect me the way I journeyed these two days. I don’t know yet I should go there again or not. But I will be keep praying for these area so that one day God will bring them to Jesus and will be save.
Video of Mission to Bangladesh
We took very simple video footage while we were in country and I was able to put together a simple video. It captures us passing our the gospel of Luke to these very villagers! I think it also captures our overall trip. We had fun, taught the Word, encouraged these leaders, built friendships and important partnerships.
Lets continue to pray for the work God is doing in Bangladesh and the ‘presence’ we can have there.
Last week I returned from a mission to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. I went with a team of 4 to teach and encourage over 30 national evangelists and Christian leaders. We took hand held cameras and I put together a simple video that I think captures our trip. We had fun, taught the Word, planted seeds of the gospel, and built friendships and important partnerships.
I wrote this blog before we left but am only able to publish it today. I just got home and it was great to see the family and I look forward to a good nights sleep!
Our Team- Me, Gary, Ashley, Gill
Leaving Bangladesh
Outside Classroom
Today was our last day in Bangladesh. We made the trip from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka yesterday. Thankfully we were able to fly. Last time we took a mini-van (micro-bus), which took 13 hours and was the most frightening experience of my life. I was literally terrfied for 13 straight hours. The 60 minute flight snacking on cookies and reading a Men’s Healthy magazine was much, much better! They even brought me a box of mango juice!
Gil and I having a coconut
We had a free morning in Cox Bazar and an entire day in Dhaka. This gave us time to explore the two cities and the culture. In Cox’s Bazar we walked the beach and had great interaction with locals and visitors. They are very interested in Americans. In Dhaka we went to the historical museum and learned a lot about the history of Bangladesh.
We begin our two day journey back home tomorrow- 5.5 hours to Dubai, 9 hour layover, then the 16.5 hour flight into Houston. We also loose 12 hours. Hopefully we can get some sleep during the layover!
Gil taking on the culture!
I want to thank those of you who have been praying for me and our team. We have had great ministry opportunities, from training leaders to planting seeds. I appreciate your partnership and participation! I am excited for the movement God is leading in Bangladesh and hopefully I can continue to participate in spreading God’s glory, rule, and dwelling presence over the earth, specifically in Bangladesh. But now, I can’t wait to get home and hug my family!
Our final day of ministry in Cox’s Bazar was great. The protective hand of God was with us and we had many great opportunities as we planted seeds with the gospel of Luke. Thanks you for your prayers and praise God He answered!
Mortuza, Kama-John, and Jacob
National Partners
We began our day meeting with our three national partners. Each of these men are solid believers, grounded in the truth, and living out their faith. My prayer in regards to our time with these leaders has
been from Romans 1:11-12, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” I think God accomplished this prayer and I am thankful for the opportunity to parter and serve with these men.
Luke Distribution
Muslim woman receiving gospel
We began in the city and headed out to some nearby villages. The reception was great. Most people were excited to see the Americans and receive a gift. We decided to stay in the van most of the time so we could keep moving and remain effective in passing out 1,000 copies of the gospel of Luke. We stopped at a school and passed many books out. Our national partners tell us they will take these home and even their parents will take a look at what was brought to them. From the city to country, to men and women, to young and old God was gracious and protective as we passed out the gospel. Again, God accomplished our prayers!
I have included several pictures of our evangelism below. Continue to pray with me. Our nationals will be returning to these areas to talk with people and see if anyone is interested in learning more about Jesus as the Savior. Let’s pray for their perseverance and watering of these seeds, for the hearts and minds of these people to be open to Jesus as the true Son of God, for their protection so they can continue to spread the gospel in Bangladesh, but ultimately for God to cause the growth of these curious hearts into believers who spring up into eternal life (1 Co. 3:6; Matt. 13:23).
This was our last day of our training conference. I had the privilege of investing in these men, national evangelists serving on the front lines for the gospel to reach their people.
Entire group at training center
The Passion
I taught on The Passion of Christ, that is, the last week of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. I also included His appearances, ascension, and then the sending of His Spirit. We walked day-by-day and learned many things that challenged us, encouraged us, and renewed the passion of the gospel within us.
One of my classes today
I tried to show many connections through the story that might not be obvious at first reading but the men seemed especially encouraged to see how 1) the day of Jesus entry into Jerusalem was the same day the Jews selected the Passover lamb to sacrifice, 2) how the day and time Jesus gave up His Spirit on the cross was the same day and time the Jews sacrificed the Passover lamb, 3) how the day Jesus rose from the dead was the same day the Jews celebrated the feast of first fruits, and 4) how the events and circumstances surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion matched the prophetic Word of Psalm 22. Even I am am continually amazed at how Jesus showed Himself as the one and true Messiah and Savior throughout His ministry, even in His death He is proven as the victorious Redeemer!
The Prayer Need
Street of the training center
Tomorrow is our last day in Cox’s Bazar before heading back to Dhaka. We need extra prayer for this day. We purchased 1,000 copies of the gospel of Luke in Bangla, the language of Bangladesh. We will be going into the community with 3 national evangelist to plant seeds through passing out these Bibles. Our national partners will then follow up to water these seeds. We are trusting God for the growth (1 Co. 3:6). We will need a few prayers:
Our passing out of the gospel of Luke would be an effective way to spread the seed of the gospel in this community (Matt. 13:1-23).
That God would prepare the hearts and minds of those we come into contact with and the gospel of Luke and our witness will fall on good soil (Matt. 13:8, 23).
Our nationals will begin building relationships with the people we speak with, watering the seed that would eventually lead them to faith in Christ (1 Co. 3:6).
Protection as we minister. There is a level of hostility to the gospel in this country (with some of the Muslim Fundamentalist) and we hope not to have any trouble spreading the seed of the gospel through testimony and the passing out of the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:8).
Today was another good day of training in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. There were three significant things I want to mention.
1. While the other team members continued teaching the 30 men and 5 women who are attending our conference, I had the privilege of spending the morning with Jacob Bashia. Jacob is a young man with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). Kingsland has been supporting him for several years. He is a very committed, and dedicated national. He has a strong ministry in Chittagong with both students and professional business people. We hope to partner with him in the near future.
Lunch: rice, fish, and fingers
2. Lunch was another ‘in country’ experience. We had rice and fish…as I got my plate (no silverware) I notice the fish was still totally intact- head, eyes, tail, and all. After I reminded myself to always take full advantage of the experiences offered on these mission trips, I began to eat. The fish was actually very good!
3. I spent the afternoon with Ashley (one of our team members) and the women. I shared my testimony and reminded them that the true God is a God of love and grace as demonstrated through sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I explained to them why I came to Bangladesh, namely, to participate in spreading the glory and rule of God over the earth (Gen. 1:27-28; Ps. 72:8, 18-19). I then shared from Romans 1:11-12 why I came to them specifically, that I hope to impart to them something to equip them but that we would both be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith in Christ.
The women attending our training conference
One of my favorite parts of the afternoon with the women was teaching how the Bible honors and elevates women in light of an oppressive biblical culture. This is much of what they also experience in the common religions of this area. Although God has given different roles and responsibilities to men and women, the Bible also emphasizes that man and woman where both created to equally reflect God and rule over creation (Gen. 1:27-28). The conflict between man and woman that often results in oppression is a result of the Fall and was overturned by Christ (Gal. 3:28). Further, it is the female that personifies the wisdom taught in Proverbs, women were active leaders and servants in the life and ministry of Jesus (ex. Luke 8:1-3), the apostle Paul considers many women fellow workers and instructs us to honor them as such (ex. Ro. 16:1-7), and women continued to be active servants in the early church (ex. Acts 2:17-18; 1 Co. 11:5; 12:7; Acts 18:26). We also looked at how Christian husbands are to love, sacrifice, and honor their wives. I believe they were very encouraged.
It was a good day. Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow I will teach the Passion of Christ, which is the final week of His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. We will go day by day through the end of Luke and see how Jesus spent the last week of His physical life on earth. It should be challenging and glorious!
We finally made it to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and began our training conference. Three days of travel make for interesting teaching (tired and dizzy!) but overall things are going well. We found a good place to sleep, the training center was prepared for us, and the men and women had all arrived safely. Many of them had to travel for 16 hours or more to attend and they are very hungry for the Word.
I shared my testimony and heard from many of the guys. They are working hard to spread
One of the groups attending our training conference
the good news of Jesus Christ all over the country. It is difficult work with much persecution but they have a heart for God and a concern for their people that drives them to continue. I also taught the background and introduction to Luke. It was fun to show where Luke is in the story of the Bible and what it contributes to the biography of Jesus’ life and ministry. I also shared how we received the gospel of Luke and this seemed to encourage the guys as they battle the reliability of the NT Texts.
I have been in this part of the world several times and always been able to avoid one of the cultural practices that I find difficult…eating rice and dal with your fingers. Today my avoidance ran out! I was sitting with the guys in the courtyard and I couldn’t bring myself to ask for a spoon. I got out the hand sanitizer and dug in. The guys had a good time as they tried to teach me the proper technique, but overall it was OK. The food actually tastes the same and once you wash your hands its like it never happened, only I think it went along way in connecting with the men.
Our team is doing well but in need of energy. I actually feel pretty good and am teaching a shorter lesson tomorrow. Pray we continue to bond with the men and women, communicate truth with clarity, teach with energy, the translation is accurate, and the Holy Spirit is leading and empowering everything we do and say.
I am headed with a team from Kingsland Baptist Church to Bangladesh. As of this morning, Thursday, Feb. 2, I have made it 2/3rds of the way (we left Houston on Monday afternoon). We are toward the end of our 24 hour layover about to head to our finial destination, Cox Bazaar. I am writing this email from a hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is the capital city. For an idea of the environment, Bangladesh is the size of Arkansas with a population of 160 million, that is half the population of the entire USA in a country the size of Arkansas. On top of that, although progress is being made, it is one of the poorest developing countries on the planet. Even worse, the religious climate to very dark and you can feel it as you walk the streets. The light of Christ is very dim here.
Our purpose is to show and share that Light through the training and encouragement of national believers who have been chosen to come to this conference. We will lead a three-day training through the gospel of Luke along with leadership and discipleship equipping. These men and women were chosen because they show great faithfulness to Christ and the potential to train others. We hope they begin to spread house churches all over the county and extend the glory of God throughout Bangladesh.
If you could pray for our mission I would enjoy the support!
12 So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? 13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
Solomon feels like there is nothing he can add to this world, that everything has already been done. He knows that wisdom is better than foolishness yet he is distressed because both lives end in death. Even further, after death he will be forgotten, just like the man who lived foolish.
Where is Solomon off here?
Does God have a specific work He wants to do through you?
Yes. Eph. 2:10 states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God has a unique purpose He desires to accomplish through you. (cf. John 17:4; 1 Co. 12:7-11)
Do the believer and the unbeliever experience the same death?
No. Believers live and die credited with righteousness and are promised to be raised unto eternal life. Our lives do not end in death and death actually gives meaning to our lives. As General Maximus from the movie Braveheart proclaimed, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” (cf. Gen. 15:6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Co. 15:12-19)
Should we hate life because we might be forgotten?
No. Our lives are not about our fame but about God, His story, and His fame. Our purpose is to make Him more famous (Acts 1:8).
Our lives have meaning as they build the kingdom and impact others to do the same. This is our legacy, not for us to be famous and remembered but for God to be famous and remembered by our lives.
Living for personal fame is vanity. Living for the glory of God is LIFE.
Most Bible translations, including the NIV and ESV, do not have the end of Matthew 6:13 in the flow of the Text, which reads, “For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” However, they do place it as a footnote. Most people are not aware that there are small discrepancies like this in a few places in the Bible.
Let me say from the beginning, this in no way undermines the authority of the Bible you have in your hand. It is absolutely trustworthy in all things.
The reality is we do not have the original documents written by the biblical authors. Our Bibles are dependant of copies of the originals written down by scribes throughout the centuries. Scholars who study Textual Criticism have put together two main compilations of NT manuscripts, Majority Text and the Critical Text.
Majority Text- emphasizes the number of copies and the consistency between them. We have such a high volume with amazing consistency that we get an accurate picture of the original writings. However, to have a great number many of them also have a late date.
Critical Text- emphasizes the early date of the manuscripts. So even though they have a smaller number of copies they value the early date.
The issue is that the end of Matthew 6:13 is not found in any of the early manuscripts but it does show up in a large number of later manuscripts.
The reason we are so familiar with it is because the KJV is based on the Majority Text and this was the popular translation in our American religious history.
Today most NT scholars hold to the critical text and believe the early manuscripts are most reliable. This is what the NASB, ESV, NIV and other popular translations are based on.
We do see the harmony and respect between the two camps as all Bible translations make note of this ending. I like the way the NASB handles it. They have it in the flow of the text in brackets with a footnote. So you kind of get both.
How did this verse get here if it’s not original?
Most likely a scribe who read from his manuscript in the early church wrote in the margin this ending doxology, which the church would proclaim after reading the Lord’s Prayer. As this manuscript was copied it became part of the flow of the prayer.
However, most scholars believe this is a biblical doxology is taken from a very reliable passage of Scripture, 1 Chronicles 29:11.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory…this is almost word for word, and it goes on to state… and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth, Yours in the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
As you study the Lord’s Prayer you will see that this is exactly what the Lord had in mind.
A few things to consider:
This kind of issue does not mean you need to question every verse in your Bible. That is malicious and unwarranted reaction.
This actually strengthens the credibility of your Bible. This is an authentic and honest evaluation of the inspired Word.
Anything that is questionable is marked in your Bible. There is 98.5% agreement with the over 5,000 early and later Greek manuscripts. We can be confident that the Bible in your hand is 98.5% exactly what the authors originally wrote. This is impossible, screams divine endurance and there is no other ancient document with this kind of consistency.
The 1.5% we are unsure of are finite issues such as spelling of a word, endings and tenses of words, word order in a sentence, and little things like this. When we have phrases like this one we can usually find it almost word for word in another portion of Scripture. Even when we have several verses there are none that overturn any doctrine of belief taught in the rest of the Bible. This is not a doctrinal issue, it’s not even an inspiration issue; it is simply our best effort to get everything exact.
You can be certain that your Bible is 100% true. The Bible you read from is 100% without a doubt trustworthy and reliable.
You have the best copy of the exact inspired Word of God in your hand and this little issue does not change that.
