Tibet

This past summer I spent 5 weeks in China teaching English. It was an amazing opportunity to experience a new culture and be a witness of Jesus Christ to some of my students who had never heard the gospel before. The religions that we came into contact with most in China were Taoism and Buddhism. I had never been exposed to either of these religions and both made me step back and wonder how someone could submit themself to such a system of belief. But they did just that. I had another amazing opportunity this summer. During the last week of my trip to China, myself and two of my friends were able to go into Tibet for just over a week. What is Tibet? "The Rooftop of the World". Home of the mighty Himalayas. And one of the capitals of Buddhism. And we stayed in the heart of it all, Lhasa. The capital of Tibetan Bhuddism. Former home of the exhiled Dalai Lama. Home of the Jo Khang temple, where many Tibetan Bhuddhists make a pilgrimage in their lifetime. What I saw in Tibet has left a lasting imprint on my life. The Lord used the experience to teach me many things, but two things specifically. First, I am overwhelmed at the amazing freedom and hope that I have in Christ. The Buddhists in Tibet are in bondage. They are bound to customs and traditions that have been passed down from their ancestors. Their bondage stems from their commitment to the "Four Noble Truths" which are: all beings inevitably endure suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the cause of desire can be contained; and to contain the cause of desire one must follow the path of Buddha. Therefore the Buddhist seeks a lifestyle of purity in word, thought, and deed. Because Christ has paid the ultimate price for me and all of God's wrath was poured out on His Son, I am not under the bondage of the law but I am free because of Christ. Second, the dedication and commitment of the Buddhists is mind-blowing. They string prayer flags from mountain peak to mountain peak. they go on a pilgrimage where they prostrate themselves every step of the way. They constantly spin prayer wheels. Their commitment to a false religion is amazing. It was a great rebuke to me as I go throughout my day, busy with school, relationships, entertainment, and Starbucks, how much more commited are the buddhists to a false god than I am to the true God? The trip to Tibet was both enlightening and sad. I would not trade it for a thing. Not to put them on the spot, but maybe the Little Sheep and the Lo Dog can add their experiences and insights...

Here we go...

Oh Boy.... I'm not going to go there am I? Why not? Here's my question. I have been submerged in this sea of "Fundamentalism" now for the better half of a decade... Now, understand that I don't claim to have any special knowledge or insight that is unique to just me. I am in this for clarification. Do I need to be labeled a fundamentalists in order for my walk with the Lord to be pleasing in His sight? That is what I am striving for. Sure I want those around me and that I come in contact with to see a changed lifestyle that is possessed by God (Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9, ESV). I want others to see Jesus Christ being manifest in me. Is that what the world sees in fundamentalists? Is the love of Christ permeating through this movement so that it is drawing men to know the gospel and to experience the change that is brings? Is the joy of the believers seen so clearly that it is unmistakable as to what their joy is about? What about the union that the believers have in Christ? Is this union seen in fundamentalism? Your thoughts?

"..That they may be one..."

I remember back in my junior year of high school wanting to preach on John 17, the "High Priestly Prayer" of Jesus. I remember seeing so many times Christ praying to the Father that His followers would be one, just as the Son and the Father are one. LO brought up a good point in responding to my questions about fundamentalism. He said that "a good argument could be made that the one thing that has characterized Christianty through the ages is division". Corey aslo raises the question of the unity of the believers in his response to the post. Why does Christ call us to be unified? "that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:21 ESV) WOOHH!?! What is Jesus saying? Is our Lord saying that we, as Christians, have the opportunity to show the world a witness of God sending His Son to this world to save man, just by living is unity with eachother?!? What an amazing opportunity! If we can believe the promises of the Bible, the very words of our Savior, one of the most powerful witnessing tools given to the believer is the union that is alive and active with other believers through Jesus Christ. This is evidence of a changed life that is now controlled by the Hold Spirit. The world cannot have that kind of union and fellowship. Can they? I have been attending meetings on a monthly basis with some Muslim friends that I have made. We are involved in sharing eachother's worldviews, discussion, and developing friendships. The men from the mosque are very kind and generous. I began to talk to a man one night at the mosque who was not a Muslim, but was very interested in the religion. We talked for some time and that night he told me that he had experienced and "tried out" many different religions and denominations including Christianity and Baptists. He said, and I quote, "of all the places that I have visited, I have never experienced such love and sense of community as I do here in this mosque." My heart sank. How tragic that those who do not have the love of Jesus Christ can be better examples of love than I can. Why is that? Why is there a lack of unity among believers? Why is the love of Christ not seen by unbelievers at times? What are we letting get in the way of true unity with eachother? Your thoughts....

Everest 2004