Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ
“Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ?” That's what Ken asked me as we sat down in our living room, where I keep a Bible in the local language on display.
By Anonymous worker in Southeast Asia,
South Asia
“Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ?” That's what Ken* asked me as we sat down in our living room, where I keep a Bible in the local language on display.
Ken, an English teacher friend from a local religious school, wanted to know what Christ taught about morality. Unfortunately, most people in this country (like Ken) know very little about true believing faith in Jesus. Instead they get their ideas about so-called “Christianity” from immoral, foreign TV programs.
Most of the time, people here think Western ideals equal the Christian faith, and they assume all "Christians" practice the same immoral lifestyles and behaviors they see in movies and TV.
Ken could tell, though, that our family is not like the Hollywood families he’s seen on TV. As we talked, he lamented the moral decay of the area where we both live. Our town boasts one of the largest brothels in the country—a brothel where vulnerable girls fall victim to a vicious cycle that is almost impossible for them to escape. My wife has worked with some of these girls.
The contrast between the depravity of the brothel and the moral austerity of the country’s predominant religion bothers Ken. He finds it hypocritical, both of the town and the religion in general.
As Ken and I talked, I opened up the Bible, and together we read some verses from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.
“God has very high standards for morality,” I told Ken. “Any immorality outside of marriage is wrong.”
Ken was surprised.
And then I added, “Not only that, but Jesus taught that even thinking immoral thoughts is a sin.”
At these words, Ken was even more surprised.
We have been praying for Ken and the students he teaches. I’ve even taught them an English class and spent some time getting to know them. Please pray that God will break down the walls of misinformation and confusion regarding true, Bible-believing Christianity, and that the many “Kens” of this country will come to see Christianity and the teachings of Jesus as the greatest and highest moral calling there could ever be.
Pray that God will raise up more men like Ken, who will seek out Christian workers and boldly ask, even at the risk of endangering their own religious reputations: “Can I ask you a question about Jesus Christ?"
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*Names have been changed.
Pray for this country in Southeast Asia.
- Pray for Ken to open his heart to God as he learns more and more about the Jesus of the Bible. Ask God to give him an insatiable desire to know Jesus.
- Pray for Ken’s country. Pray for God to send more workers, for the influence of false gods to be broken, and for God to make Himself known in powerful ways.
- Pray for the Christian workers in this region to find loving and culturally sensitive ways to share the gospel with those around them.
If God is calling you to walk alongside people like Ken and teach them about Jesus, contact your nearest SIM office.
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