This week (July 29th to August 3) there is a conference in Yangon, Myanmar.  The initial report for the first two days is that there are "about 50 - 60 hungry souls" at the meeting and we are seeing "a real work of the Spirit".

These two things will always go together; hunger for God's Word and a work of the Spirit.  Notice the example in the Book of Acts:

Acts 10:33, "Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."  There was a readiness to hear what God would say, which we receive primarily through His Word.  This is followed a few verses later with Luke's record; "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word" (verse 44).

If you want to see God's Spirit work in our day, promote a hunger for His Word, not yourself.

In all things, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

One of the key principles we see in the Book of Acts is that the life, fellowship and preaching; all forms of worship of the early church, was a strong reason why the church grew so rapidly (Acts 2:14-47; 6:7; 10:34-48; 13:48-49).  Dr. Edmund Clowney has said, “When we worship God as we ought, that is when the nations will listen.”

Is our worship truly God-centered?  If we mix in to our worship anything that exalts man, we will weaken out gospel voice to the nations; the unreached.

As Tim prepares for his next trip to Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, we want to give you a few details so you can be praying for each event.  We feel very dependent on the Lord that He would go before us and provide a "wide open door for effective work" (1 Cor. 16:9).

July 24th - Leave Raleigh for Yangon, Myanmar (via Bangkok, Thailand).  Pray for safe travel and rest in preparation for the conference in Yangon.

July 29th to Aug. 2nd - Through a Chin Brother originally from Myanmar (now living in Australia), there will be a week long conference teaching the manual, God's Plan for His Church.  Those attending will be given GPHC on the 15th of July so they can prepare for the training.  Please pray they will complete the preparation and that those called to be church planters and apostles like Paul will follow Paul as he followed Christ.  This instruction and application helps to prepare "unstoppable church planters" in any culture, anytime, and under any circumstances.

August 3rd to August 17 - Training with leaders from Africa.  Part of their learning process will take place as they help Tim do training with the Karen and Lahu people groups of Thailand (see below).  Pray for the work and power of the Holy Spirit in these leaders.

August 18th to September 28th - Specific dates have not been set, but there will be instruction of ten Thai Karen evangelists who will work among many Karen people who have been displaced from Burma and are living in refugee camps.  Our desire is that they will be equipped to eventually reach their own people in Myanmar and the other 55 unreached people groups.

In addition, there will be training with the Lahu people of Thailand with a goal that they evangelize the 82 unreached people groups.  Please pray for God to give vision through His method they learned from Scripture. 

We are providing 30 GPHC manuals to a Chinese Missions Training Center in Chiang Mai in preparation for instruction in May of next year.  Please pray that these students will absorb the Scriptures and principles so they can be effective in ministry in China.

Tim returns by October 1st.

Here is an interesting comparison between Myanmar and Thailand:

Myanmar:  Total People Groups = 155  Unreached = 55  Unengaged = 13
Thailand: Total people Groups = 112  Unreached = 82  Unengaged = 41

It is critical that we plant a biblical mindset in leaders so the task of reaching the unreached people groups with the gospel happens rapidly.  We hope, Lord willing and through the work of the Holy Spirit, to challenge from the Word of God, that they consider reaching these unreached people groups, especially since the Karen and Lahu are primarily reached people groups, similar to churches in the US.  Now that is not to say that we do not work with the existing church to strengthen through renewal, but we see from Acts that it was not either/or but both, working within the traditional establishment while sending and going to those who had never heard.  But, it does seem the apostles number one focus in life and teaching was giving priority to those who had NEVER heard.  Now I know not everyone is called to "go", but they are called to be "set apart" and be in one accord with the Holy Spirit in the mandate and commission given to His Church.

The advantage of our training center in Chiang Mai is that these leaders learn in a setting free from distractions and where fellowship strengthens their learning.  It has proven cost effective and the effectiveness of this one-on-one mentoring, as Paul did with Timothy and others, is undeniable.  Please pray for God's continual direction as we use this facility.

We continually thank the Lord for "your partnership in the Gospel" (Phil. 1:5) through faithful praying and support.  Our only desire is "that we should go and bear fruit and that our fruit should abide (remain) for the Father's glory! (John 15:8, 16).

Previously we discussed how God wants to use you and me for His purpose – to bring Him eternal glory!  In this post, I desire to turn your attention to those things that makes us moldable clay (teachable) in God’s hand. 

If we think about our circumstances, the trials we go through, and our own brokenness, we have to admit that we are more often resistant to His hand on us.  We rarely invite Him to reshape us from the inside out.  What changes our attitude toward the pressure of God’s shaping hand?  Please consider the following.

·         Humility does not demand things work out my way – for my “own interests” (Phil. 2:21).

·         Humility does not seek to “gratify the desire of the flesh” – my will (Gal. 5:16).

·         Humility makes submission to God and others possible (1 Peter 5:5).

·         Submission to God prepares me to be “transformed by the renewal of my mind” (Ro. 12:2).  My thinking is being changed by His work in me.

·         Submission to the Spirit leading me (my thinking, desires, actions, words, etc.) according to God’s plan and will (Gal. 5:18).  Note: The word “led” means to be “taken hold of or take with” the Holy Spirit’s control.

This is very challenging to me!  How are you reacting to this?

Here is the testimony of someone from Myanmar who recently went through God’s Plan for His Church training.  “By taking GPHC training in Chiang Mai, I learned your heart for His kingdom, your teaching style one by one, your desire for the family of Christian leaders, your perspective on the life of Paul and the methods of Paul for imparting to present day church planters.”

We are in a terrible time right now. On Tuesday night cattle raiders known as Gishus from neighboring country Uganda came at night killed one neighbor and snatched out more than 70 cows. Tension is now high in the area. Yet in this month, black quarter severely killed cows across the land. The sheep’s wool peeled out of their bodies and cracks all over their bodies of the affected ones and seriously dying across the area. Goats have been attacked by serious foot rot.
Pastor Sirwo’s mother and my wife have been attacked by a disease I have never seen before under their feet they complain as if they are stepping on fire, they don’t sleep I suspect it may be lack of shoes yet the mountain is very cold. The people of Kapsang’ forest attacked by serious fever and pneumonia mostly children and women.
Remember we are living in the forest where there is no hospital, no security and even veterinary services. This came into being from the intertribal disputes of 2006 at Chepyuk scheme between Dorobo/Ogiek and Sabaot, the Ogiek being few and weak were driven to the forest where they were before. As they ran for the refuge to top of mount Elgon interior to the forest, they are living there to then, the malicious group called Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) grabbed the Ogiek’s land and killed hundreds of them. Thus we live in the forest to date.