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This week, the Thai were celebrating a Buddhist purification festival. Thai people were going from Buddhist temple to Buddhist temple, with the blessing of the monks, invoking the spirits to possess them. Those chosen to sacrifice themselves for the sake of society’s cleansing violently pierced themselves. This was considered to be an honor. Government officials asked the people to refrain from grotesque manifestations during the festival season, for the protection of the people and the tourist trade.

As I walked through the streets of Phuket, at almost any time of day, the seductive spirits were more than active. Each step through the strip invited another sexual solicitation. The darkness was pervasive – prostitutes, transvestites, lady boys, homosexuals – sex, sex, sex. Although Thailand is stunningly beautiful, deep sadness was written on the faces of many.

At the same time, I was participating in an Asian missionary retreat and consultation, where the Spirit of God was blessing us with his glorious presence. MBMSI missionaries were present from India to Japan. There was brokenness and repentance. Relationships were being healed. People were bonding. There was peace, freedom and community.

I understand the Thai festival to be a counterfeit to the good news of the kingdom. Filling of the Spirit is replaced by demonic possession. Covenant community is replaced by sexual promiscuity and multiple relationships. The cross of Christ is replaced by human suffering (piercings); forgiveness and freedom by the illusion of purification through ceremonial baths. For me, this reveals why Jesus came. And, this is why missionaries embody his life as they go to the nations.

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” (John 1:14)

October 24, 2007 – Kyoto, Japan
(Land of the Rising Sun)

This morning, Junichi Fujino, a MB pastor and convert from a Japanese religious sect called the Messianic Church, took me to Kyoto, the religious, historical and cultural centre of Japan. Around 500 AD, both Confucianism and Buddhism were introduced to Japan. These religious philosophies were integrated with the native animistic Shinto religion to form a distinctive Japanese worldview and culture. This syncretism is most evident in Kyoto.

The most fascinating stop, for me, was the Kiyomizu Temple Garden, an enormous complex of Buddhist temples and Shintoist shrines founded in 788 AD. Commerce was everywhere. Good luck charms for sale; fortune telling; palm reading; deities to arrange marriages; lucky rocks; ways to rid yourself of all problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dissolving them in water; drinking streams for wealth, wisdom and a few other things, but you have to be careful in what order you drink and from how many streams you drink.

When you do not believe in a Sovereign God who has authority over all of life, you require multiple deities to keep your bases covered. This fosters a superstitious atmosphere of insecurity, bargaining, and manipulation. No relationship of trust is established between the worshipper and God. It is always a tenuous affair. Bad fortunes are left at the temple gate in order to leave them behind. Good fortunes are carried off the temple grounds and into daily life. Junichi and I expressed our gratitude for Jesus.

“. . . in these last days, he (God) has spoken to us by his Son . . . . The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)

According to Junichi, the central yearning of the Japanese people is for peace (household peace). It is not the Hebrew concept of shalom, which embraces all of life, but a more egocentric peace, focused on the immediate family. This yearning is reflected in their gardens, with trees and ponds, creating an atmosphere of serenity. This peace, however, tends to be elusive because they do not acknowledge the Prince of Peace, Jesus himself.

At one temple site, we entered the womb of the motherly Buddha, a completely dark chamber underneath the Buddhist temple site. As we entered, I started praying. Junichi immediately began to sing, “To God be the Glory”. At the centre of the chamber was a spinning stone, with the Sanskrit word, “hara”, written on top. Hara, in Japanese, means belly or “the seat of one’s internal energy”. We were to spin the stone, say a prayer, and keep walking. Some young girls felt they were regressing to previous lives as we went through the chamber (the womb). Junichi and I came out praising God that we have not been called to darkness, but to light in Jesus.

Today, to be Japanese is to be a “secular syncretist.” The Spirit of Money dominates Japanese life, even though the Japanese people continue to visit Buddhist and Shintoist worship sites (800 million idols) to secure their well-being and chase the ever elusive household peace. 99% of the population worship their ancestors.

Three of the key MB leaders I met spoke of profound experiences with the Spirit of God. They testified to freedom from strongholds of the past. They desire to know the fullness of God in prayer. I pray that God will increase their faith and enliven their spirits as they seek to share the light and peace of Jesus with their Japanese brothers and sisters. This is why Jesus came.

“. . . because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

Family News and Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for our MBMSI missionaries and MB national leaders across Asia (India, Thailand, Philippines, Japan and restricted access countries) during this Christmas Season. May they be empowered by the Spirit of God to share the light of Jesus with their Asian communities.
2. Ashley is home for the Christmas holidays. Pray for a meaningful time as a family. Pray that all five of us will respond to God’s calling on our lives with increased faith in 2008.
3. As I look back on 2007, I am grateful to God for his sovereign care, sustenance, and direction during a very busy season. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
4. Pray for spiritual discernment as our MBMSI team plans and prioritizes for 2008. Although the demands are greater than our capacity to meet them, we want to work out of a sense of God’s restful presence and divine leading.
5. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to raise up more long term missionaries. We are currently forming teams for a number of least reached people groups.]

Rays’s work with MBMS International depends on your prayer and financial support. If you would like to contribute financially to Ray’s minsitry, please designate your contribution to Project C0069.