A Scene Out of the Book of Acts

I recently returned from Southeast Asia, training and equipping native missionaries for personal evangelism. The posts that follow detail some of my thoughts and experiences along the way:

A scene out of the book of Acts…

I feel like I had been transported to Ephesus, one of the major cities Paul visited as described in Acts 19. On the city square, there are several small temples full of man-made idols. People are lying prostrate before them, praying intently for blessings and the forgiveness of their sins. Merchants are all around, selling opportunities for people to have sins forgiven. Several of them had giant cages full of birds. To have your sins forgiven, you needed to buy a bird and then set it free along the river. The birds did not travel very far and gathered to roost on the edge of the temple roof and surrounding buildings. After a while, the merchants would lure the birds back with food and trap them for resale. It appeared to be a very profitable enterprise for the merchants. Many people stood in line waiting to buy their bird.

What a heartbreaking scene - people trusting in birds and man-made statues to relieve them of their guilt and connect them with a higher being and/or purpose. So futile. So hopeless.

(On the main square in a major city)

I am thankful to have the opportunity to partner with native missionaries in this country and around the world, equipping them to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to buy, Jesus paid it all. There is nothing to do but trust in Him and His finished work on the cross. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to share the light of your grace, even in one of the darkest regions of the world.