Though spiritual, it's a real one.
Like all battles, it calls for real soldier. Not one, but many - band of brothers, fellow soldiers, ready to watch each other’s back, ready to support each other, ready to die for a cause, for allegiance to their King, Christ Jesus.
A few weeks ago, we had a great Bible study with our kids. We were learning prayer and warfare from how Israelites defeating the Amalekites (Exodus 17: 8ff). The text was so rich. But one truth stands out from all:
Everyone has a role in warfare (Joshua & some men fought in the field; Moses prayed hard; Aaron and Hur kept Moses’ hands up and steady…). But we all need each other (Joshua needed fellow soldiers; Moses prayed for Joshua while he was engaging enemies; Aaron and Hur supported an exhausting hands of Moses. Together they fought the Amalekites on earth, while angels engaged the evil powers of the air in other realm…). Because we have a common enemy – Satan.
Everyone has a role in warfare (Joshua & some men fought in the field; Moses prayed hard; Aaron and Hur kept Moses’ hands up and steady…). But we all need each other (Joshua needed fellow soldiers; Moses prayed for Joshua while he was engaging enemies; Aaron and Hur supported an exhausting hands of Moses. Together they fought the Amalekites on earth, while angels engaged the evil powers of the air in other realm…). Because we have a common enemy – Satan.
For the last two years, we often felt like Joshua, a frontier solider, only left alone in ditches engaging enemies. Supplies, not much left. Fellow soldiers, not at sight. Always wondered how much praying hands uplifted over that mountain top for us.
At times, we felt like Moses, tired, exhausted of lifting hands. How Aden and I long for fellow soldiers like Aaron and Hur to support our lowering hands! But support was rare.
Still we press on. Yet it should not be a one-man battle, as surely as we have the same King.
Still we press on. Yet it should not be a one-man battle, as surely as we have the same King.
So now I am calling out fellow soldiers for this battle. And I want to see you, you, you and you… together with the Lisu Christians, fighting in the same line.
I will be soon going back to the mountain, to the Lisu Christians this month. After my first visit in April, I pondered how to work among them. They do have lots of needs (Check my previous blog for my report: Won't Let Your Feet Slip, Lisu). However I do not intend to bring out to them much of the Western church resources and finance fearing that we might transform them from a simple and faithful God’s community into a greedy mass. But still out of brotherly love, we might be helping out with the basics like improvement on water, electricity, education and medication in the long run.
But two things we must do, one out of their request, one from our missional vision. They are hungry for the words of God. They want to learn more about God. So this time I will be going there to train them for a few days about “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Through this, I hope their faith will be strengthened. But that’s not all.
There is a broader perspective, about global harvest, about other minority peoples that had never heard about Jesus before but live near to Lisu.
North East of Lisu, there are 300,000 Naxi people never heard about Jesus. The Pumi with 30,000 people on its east side, and Deang people, totaling 15,000, lives in its north. All under Satan’s bondage and slavery. Never heard of the gospel of Jesus and the love of God.
They are the neighbours of our Lisu Christian brothers and sisters. Can we encourage the Lisu to be fellow soldiers and bring the gospel to these unreached minority peoples nearby? God wishes all person to be saved but this is not his reality (1Tim.2:4). Before Jesus ascension to heaven, he commanded us to make disciples of all peoples(nations) – people group of same language, culture and background, not all person. And it is only when all people groups on earth have active Christian communities among them, then Jesus will return (Mat.24:14).
There are 24,000 people group in this world. 16,000 had been successfully reached by gospel. Only 8,000 people groups left and needed to be reached before our Lord returns. Naxi, Pumi, Deang are among them.
This is nothing about personal ambition. It is about how close you want to come near His heart, His will. These unreached Naxi, Pumi, Deang and other peoples are his heart and his will. It is about how much you love your Lord and want to see these people from every tribe, language, nation, to stand before the Lamb and worship Him(Rev. 7:9ff). I am expecting that day.
What if our vision is not a dream? That on one day Aden, Marcus, Lisu brothers, and you and you, we stand before our King Jesus, together with this once-before-non-believing Naxi, Pumi or Deang, but now are His disciples! And have our Lord declared to us, “You are my fellow soldiers, my band of brothers! I am proud of you all.”
And we, the Lisu brothers, the Naxi, Pumi, and you and you, will stand hand in hand and proudly praise, “Lord, you are worthy…”
What joy complete if I see YOU were there with us as well! Will you fight with us here and now, that you and us shall proudly stand together there on that day?
Pray about this. Show your fire. Call us if you want to know how to combat with us.
