Mission in Thailand • Jesus Is The Only Way • Part 1
Hear from Simona in the first of a series of blogs on her recent mission trip to Thailand!
Over the next couple of weeks we will be hearing from Simona, a member of the Redeemer staff team, who recently travelled to Thailand to work alongside local missionaries and see the gospel preached to those who have never heard it before. We hope you are encouraged, challenged, and inspired by her story.
You could say that our adventure began on October 27th when my lovely travel companion, Maria Bo, and I headed to Heathrow Airport en route to Bangkok. However, the adventure actually began earlier this year in January when we were invited to participate in a four-day training program on empowering struggling communities 🤝 . The program was held at The Hub in the heart of Ealing and was hosted by Richard Holt, the training also included an invitation to join him in one of his projects in Asia to put into practice what we had learned.
As such, the main purpose of our trip was to help facilitate a TOT (Training of Trainers) for a Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program. CHE is a community development program that focuses on evangelism in unreached and impoverished populations by meeting their most urgent needs and working together with local leaders to support and facilitate work within those communities. The work targets major sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and trauma recovery, and its holistic approach is based on biblical principles and the example of Jesus, who met people's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs when entering the community and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God.
As well as the knowledge we gained, it was a great opportunity for me to meet many inspirational, radical and dedicated missionaries and people from different cultures who have left their home country to serve in Thailand and make a difference by being ” light and salt”, just as Jesus commanded us! We discovered that they possess a deep understanding of the local culture and spirituality. This knowledge enables them to effectively communicate the message of Jesus to the Thais in a way that is both relevant and easily understandable in this particular part of the world.
Life Changers
How can I not mention some of the meaningful conversations I had? 🗨️💖💬 The one with Sara* from Australia 🇦🇺🦘 for example. She moved to Northern Thailand with her whole family and children to reach an unreached group with the Gospel. She shared how difficult it is to enter those villages, and sometimes it takes years to have a minimal impact. She likened sharing the Word of God with the Buddhist society to “trying to cut water with a sword” because the impact of the effort would not be long-lasting or significant, as Buddhism already defines and encompasses every aspect of people's lives in those areas. At the moment, they do prayer walks in the villages and offer to pray for people. Surprisingly, she didn't ask for protection prayer but for resilience and perseverance despite the daily difficulties and challenges she faces. She was hopeful about the training we offered as she said it might be a very effective tool to open doors in those villages, especially as it wasn’t labelled as "Christian”. This often creates barriers, preventing them from building an initial connection with the village chief. I was inspired and encouraged by her story. ✨🌟😊
I also had the pleasure of meeting X., a Burmese refugee who shared his story with us. He belongs to the Karen community which is mainly Christian and very blessed, despite being very small. He told us about the ongoing civil war, how he lost all his documents, his rescue and how he met his Norwegian wife on the field. He joked: “When God calls you, He also likes to give you the whole package”! - pointing at her. We were invited to their home and enjoyed a meal with them, their children, and friends. It was a sweet experience. 👨👩👧👦❤️👫🫶
It was also encouraging for me to meet Cris at a home fellowship church gathering. Cris is a single American woman in her late 40s who has been serving in Thailand for many years as a lawyer, helping families and children. She told us that despite the challenges of living abroad without a husband or companion at her age, she felt the desire to adopt a child. God has blessed her with supportive communities and friends along the way. Maria and I had the opportunity to pray for her. 🙌
During our first week, we stayed at the ECHO farm in Chiang Mai. It's a beautiful agricultural farm that employs local Thai people who are all Christian, which is quite remarkable since the percentage of Christians in Thailand is very small. They cultivate a wide variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables, and maintain their own seed bank.🌱🌾🧡🍈🌴I even bought some seeds from them, including papaya and dragon fruit, but I'm not sure if they'll grow! I might get a chance if I entrust them to my family in sunny Calabria -South Italy! ☀️🏊♂️
After the experience in Chiang Mai, we took a coach and travelled for 5 hours to Mae Sot, and you can hear more about that experience next week!
*Some of the names in this story have been changed for the safety of those involved.
Redeemer reads 2 Thessalonians 2
Good morning! Today we are reading 2 Thessalonians 2, and due to a mix up with videos (apologies for the slight delay in releasing this one!) Toby is sharing with us again! This morning he helps us to be encouraged to stand firm in the truth during this time, just as Paul encouraged the church in Thessalonica to do!
Welcome! Here at Redeemer we believe that the Bible is the word of God, that it’s alive, and that its words can and should shape every aspect of our lives as Christians. But we also know it’s not easy to get into the habit of reading it every day! So we are following the CBR Bible Reading plan - which can be found below - to help us read the bible together.
We are currently reading the book of 2 Thessalonians, and every week day we will be releasing a video on our social media & YouTube accounts, with a member of our Redeemer family explaining what they feel God is saying to them through the passage!
Today we hear from Toby as he shares with us from 2 Thessalonians 2.
If you have time, and a desire to know more, you’ll find ideas for further study of todays passage below.
Further Study
In today’s passage, Paul talks in some detail about the timings of the return of Christ. This is something which definitely demands further study, and a good place to start is this helpful article from Sam Waldron - the president of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary and a pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is the author of numerous books, including The End Times Made Simple.
You will find his blog, entitled - Christ Will Not Return at Any Moment - linked below.
Redeemer reads Galatians 1
This morning we’re starting the book of Galatians together, and Noble helps us to focus on the authenticity of the true gospel, challenging us not to get distracted by the world around us.
Welcome! Over the next week we will be reading through the book of Galatians together as a church! We’ll be reading a chapter each week day, beginning on Friday the 15th of May, and concluding on Friday the 22nd. We’re following the reading plan in the CBR Journal, which can also be found HERE.
Each day a member of the Redeemer family will be sharing with us some thoughts in video form, which can be seen above, previous days videos can be found on our Youtube channel. We’ll also be publishing blogs with more thoughts on the passages we’ve read, along with some ideas for those who want to study the passage further. We’re really looking forward to seeing God bear fruit in and through us as a church as we read his word, even during this challenging time.
Today Noble will be sharing with us his thoughts on Galatians 1 in the video above.
Paul isn’t always nice! At the very beginning of his letter, once we’ve read the initial introductions, we see Paul get straight down to the nitty gritty, and focus in on just where the Galatian church has got it wrong! They have been accepting the teachings of people which are disputing the truth of the gospel, so Paul can’t afford to be nice! He must get them off this course they have set for themselves as quickly as possible! Throughout this first chapter we are taught of the importance of reading and understanding the true gospel, which is encouraging for us reading now, as (I assume anyway) the fact you are reading this means you have taken the first step in learning the truth of the gospel, which is reading God’s word!
The language that Paul uses is blunt because it is of such importance, if we are convinced to pursue a man made version of the gospel rather than the truth, it can have devastating effects for our lives now, and for our eternal future. The only true gospel is that which we read in the Bible, that taught to us by Jesus Christ himself. This is incredible truth, that the words we have read this morning, and the words we will be reading over the next week together, are words which carry the power of God! How amazing that is!
When we discover the story of Jesus, the one who gave himself for us, we are invited into his family, we share in the hope that comes from being a child of God! In the same instant, as we accept that invitation, we are able to move out of the hopelessness of a life defined by our present circumstance. There is no human message that could ever achieve such an incredible miraculous transformation for us, which is why it’s great news that we’ll be able to discover even more of the gospel story together over the next week, I can’t wait!
Justin Wainscott is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee and in his talk from February 2017 he further explores this topic from Galatians 1:10-24 in a message entitled - Not Man’s Gospel
“God turned a self-righteous Pharisee into one who would call himself the least of the apostles and the chief of sinners. . . . A man-made gospel will not do that.”
Redeemer reads 2 Corinthians 13
In our final day reading 2 Corinthians together, JC helps us to be thankful for the book, and we read of the way that the gospel should transform our relationships within the church!
Welcome! Today we finish reading 2 Corinthians together as a church! We’re encouraging everyone to read the passage, pray, and share with a few others what they felt God was pointing out to them in his word. Every day we’re going to be hearing from someone at Redeemer about what they felt God pointed out to them as they read the passage.
This morning JC is sharing with us, you can watch her video above. Read on to hear some more thoughts on the passage, and to get some ideas for further study.
Also, if you’re sad that this season of reading the bible together is over, then keep your eyes peeled for a special announcement later today!
It’s been amazing to read 2 Corinthians together over the last few weeks, I hope that these blogs and videos have really helped you to hear God’s voice and be encouraged and challenged by what he might be saying to you at this time! I know that for myself this has been a book of both reassurance in the sovereignty of God, but also a challenge as to how I am living out my faith right now, especially in the light of current circumstances.
Paul finishes this letter by giving off a similar vibe! He both emphasises that Christ has set the perfect example of strength in weakness by dying on the cross for us (verses 4-5), and also he calls on the church in Corinth to make sure that their faith is genuine and displayed in tangible ways!
In this chapter Paul’s words can seem harsh, especially in verse 2 when he says he will “not spare" those who oppose him! But in reality, it is not through harshness that Paul uses these words, instead it is clear that he cares for each one of them, that he won’t risk a single one of them slipping away from the truth of the gospel by failing to discipline them, even if that is a painful process!
Paul again in this passage refers to his own weakness, on two occasions, in verses 4 & 9. He just cannot get away from this main theme of the letter! But in this chapter he also encourages us that in our weakness we are made to be like Jesus Christ, who is alive today by God’s power! How transformative it would be for our lives if every time we experienced a reminder of our own weakness, we chose to celebrate the fact that we are alive today by the power of God, and that in our weakness we are reflecting more of Jesus to others!
Finally Paul finishes his letter with an inspiring picture of what church life should look like, and one which is a challenge to us today just as much as it was to the Corinthian church! I am lucky enough to be able to say that as part of the Redeemer family I feel I am part of a church which reflects Paul’s vision for the church in verse 11. But the reason that we are able to get close to this picture, is not because of our own strength, but because of the power of the gospel! As we experience the peace which comes from knowing Jesus and his victory, we are able to bring peace to others around us! One theme which runs through the entire New Testament is that our relationship with God should transform our relationships with one another. We are brought full circle at the end of chapter 13 as we are reminded of that verse that we read 2 weeks ago in chapter 1 - called to be those who “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor 1:4
Again, I hope you have been blessed by these blogs and videos over the last few weeks, I would encourage you to go back over the book again soon if you can, as there will be many ways in which God will continue to speak through his word! For now though, I leave you with the final verse in the book…
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14
Further Study
You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you’re not into Jesus.
Not a Fan is a book written by Kyle Idleman, a teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church, in Louisville Kentucky, one of the largest churches in America. The book calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humour, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.
Newday Highlights!
A few weeks ago we went away to Newday! Here are just a few of the highlights….
A couple of weeks ago, 18 of us from Redeemer headed up to the Norfolk Showground for Newday! A Christian event aimed at 12-19 year olds, where people from churches across the UK and Europe join together to learn about and worship God, camp together and soak in the summer festival feeling. Some of us were young people enjoying the services and seminars, some were youth leaders looking after our young people and seeing them grow, some of us were Zone Hosts, who were in charge of making sure the camping experience went smoothly for over 1000 young people and servers on the Purple Zone!
All of us have highlights from the week, and some of them are listed (or photographed) below!
Amariah - Redeemer Youth
On the first night of Newday I gave my life to Jesus!
Gwen - Purple Zone Host
My highlight was being part of team Purple! It was a joy to work with wonderful young adults, who are so in love with Jesus, and happy and willing to serve him!
Toby - Youth Leader
It was incredible to be in a meeting with 7,000 young people, hearing people respond to the gospel by shouting ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, and seeing them run to the front, cheered on by their friends, as they made the best decision of their lives!
Esther-Maria - Purple Zone Host
Waking up each morning to the smiling faces of the zone host team!
Mude - Redeemer Youth
I loved hanging out with the other young people, and being able to help the younger youth explore their relationship with God more, seeing them respond to God during the week was a highlight for me!
Anna - Youth Leader
Getting to know and love the young people, and then seeing them give their lives to Jesus for the first time was an honour and a joy!
Kayla - Purple Zone Host
Hearing over the radio that there was a hedgehog in the showers! Unfortunately this became less of a highlight once I realised what ‘hedgehog’ was code for…
Miguel - Redeemer Youth (joined us from Spain!)
My favourite part of Newday was encountering God’s presence at the big top, and getting to make so many great friends with the church I went with!
Adam - Purple Zone Host
My highlight is in video form…
I’m sure after you’ve heard all of these highlights you will be up for joining us at next year’s event? Well you can sign up already!! Do so by following the link below, or email toby@redeemerlondon.org to ask about serving next year.