Recently, we had the joy of meeting a few of our Myanmar pastors and leaders on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. It was the first time in more than two years that we had been together, due to COVID, a military coup, and the ongoing war.
As we were visiting, we were shocked to learn that the number of believers in Myanmar had more than tripled in size since we last met. Pastor Moe Aung told us that there were now 675 believers in the churches. Prior to COVID, there were less than 200. “What happened?” I asked.
To help me understand, Pastor Moe Aung told me a story about Uncle Soe:
Two years ago, I met a seventy-eight-year-old man named Uncle Soe. After spending thirteen years in jail, Uncle Soe had been released and returned to my village. I reached out to him and became his friend. All the people in the village ran to me and warned me that this man was a murderer! But the Holy Spirit gave me an unusual peace. As I daily taught Uncle Soe from the Scriptures, I saw that this man’s mind was clear and he was hungry to know God. Eventually, he opened up to me and shared his deep grief and regret over his past crime. When I told Uncle Soe that Jesus took all our sins upon himself on the cross, the old man said to me, ‘No, pastor, I don’t think that’s possible. Buddhism has no hope of forgiveness to offer me. How can Jesus forgive a murderer?’” But I replied, “To the thief on the cross who had committed terrible sins, Jesus said, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ That man didn’t have any time to make merit, did he? And yet Jesus could forgive him without any good works.’ That day, Uncle Soe humbly received Christ’s forgiveness by faith and was baptized. Then, knowing that he had nowhere to live, I asked him if he would take care of my farm. And now, over the past two years, Uncle Soe has helped us plant over 500 coffee and fruit trees. His green thumb has transformed the land! Everything he plants grows abundantly! And now he’s sharing fruit with many elderly people in the village who did not have enough food to eat. And he is not only distributing produce but sharing the Gospel and his own story about how Jesus saved a murderer like him! Now the Gospel is spreading from village to village throughout the state. This is just one example of how our churches multiplied in a few short years. It always starts with making one disciple, and the Holy Spirit does the rest.
Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark? 4:26-29?)
“Father God we ask…
-
For the Gospel to continue to spread throughout Myanmar and lives to be transformed by Jesus.
-
For Pastor Moe Aung and the other church leaders in Myanmar to have wisdom and strength to lead a new movement of churches in their country.
-
For peace in Myanmar and an end to the civil war.
_1690404653_500x500.jpeg)
