Brothers and sisters, I would like you to consider one method of starting a church in a new place. It is not hard to do. When I find a new village to which God is leading me I start talking to people. I ask them to take me to the person who works the hardest at making merit in the whole village - the one who is the most devoted to religious practices.
The villagers said, "Oh, that must be grandma so and so. We'll take you to her." I write down the name. As grandma sees us coming she asks, "What do you want?" "I've come for some advice from you, Grandma. The villagers all say you are the one who is the most devoted to religious practice and is making the most merit of anyone." Grandma is delighted. She finally gets a chance to teach someone! They bring out the mats, some water to drink. I go on, "Today I'd like to learn from you, Grandmother. Everyone says that you work hard to make merit. I want to find out some things from you. I've got just a few questions I would like to ask." "What are they?" "Well, first, I'd like to ask you, Grandma, how much merit have you made so far?" (I am only there to write down her answers. I'm not there to argue with her or disagree. I am just going to write down her words.) So she tells me what she thinks and whatever it is I write it down. My only job is to write it down. "The second question I would like to ask is, Who is the owner of heaven?" Hmmm, she says, "I don't know." So I write that down, "Doesn't know owner of heaven." Then I ask a third question, "How can we get to heaven?" Whatever she says I write it down. This is the way I learn from her.
Then when my questions are over she asks, "What organization do you come from?" I tell her I work for the "Heart Development Organization". I explain to her that the heart has to be developed just like the body. "Interesting," says Grandma. "Tell me more." "Interested? So sorry," I tell her, "Today I've got to be moving on to the next place." "Can't you stay and talk a little while?" "Sorry, not today. But I can come back next time and talk more. Can Grandma gather about ten others who are interested?" "Oh, yes!" And we set up a time to meet again.
You see? This is a way to get people interested and willing to talk. The problem in the past was pushing something on people which they didn't want. We felt it was our duty to teach but no one was listening! We were force-feeding people something they didn't want to swallow. Shoving it down and wondering why no one was responding positively. This method of learning from others opens many opportunities. The next time going to that village there's a large group of grandmothers who are all trying faithfully to follow Buddhist practices waiting for me.
This second time we still aren't revealing anything about Jesus Christ. We don't bring him up at all. We talk about "heart development". We ask them first if they can teach us something. When they are through we take the answers that they have given to illustrate what we are talking about. Grandma said this and I answer that. We dialogue back and forth. Heart development comes from interaction with lots of people. It takes more than one person - two or more to interact and learn together. How can we develop our hearts? How can we help our hearts to improve? Who is going to help us with this?
We need to recognize one characteristic of Thai people. If you ask a Thai person, especially anyone who cares at all about their social position, if they want to receive Jesus Christ in front of a lot of people, they will want to shrink back. They are shy. So, instead of working with the large group I ask, "Is there anyone who would like me to visit your home?" This is a different scenario. There you can talk personally. But when I'm with the group I can share some of the cultural beliefs that we have in common such as the tradition of Pra See An2. One part of the prophecy goes like this:
"When Pra See An comes you will touch a post
And from it will come fire and the fire will BURN!"
And I share with the group that Pra See An has come! See how you can go to a post and touch a switch and out comes the fire (electric light). The one who was spoken of has already come!
We need to know where our listeners are coming from, what they believe first. I refer to the Pra See An prophecy with those who know it. This prophecy anticipated someone coming. We discuss the verse which says, "We bathe ourselves to prepare for him but when he comes we'll have nothing to do with him.3" What does this mean? No one wanted him when he arrived. I share with them the story of the lepers who came to the Healer when the healthy would have nothing to do with him4 - another reference to how the healthy would not be attracted to Pra See An.
You can use this belief of theirs as a foundation to build on. We aren't trying to reinforce that Pra See An is a real person. We use this oral tradition as a platform to gradually bring in Jesus Christ. Jesus has to gradually come into the hearts and minds of the listener. If we start out saying, "Jesus Christ will save you from your sins; He is the owner of heaven" you won't get anywhere. We need to allow Christ to enter in to the hearts of people from where they are, from what they now believe.
Using this method, people will sit up and take notice. They will be able to figure out for themselves that Jesus is this prophesied one. He is the owner of heaven. Pra See An is just a name, his origin is obscure, there is no evidence of his actual existence. In the past, we explain, people were waiting for one they referred to as Pra Meeseeah5 (Messiah). But now Jesus has come. We had no interest in him but no matter how much we ignore him or hate him, He still loves us.
"If that's true and he's the one, can I believe in him right now?" they ask. "Don't believe so fast!" I tell them. Really, I do. We need to use the principle that Jesus used. If they believe right away after we have spoken they will simply be doing another religious act (following Christianity - not Jesus). Tell them to go talk to their children and their spouses first. This is because we want whole families to come to Jesus together, you understand. Don't let people come to faith as individuals with no one else knowing, not even family.
In this case that I am sharing about, some of these grandmothers had children who were government employees. Some were teachers, some were members of the police force. I asked them this, "How does this sound? If you really want to accept Jesus go and tell your children to come and talk about it. When they are ready then you can. What do you think?" And Grandma said that would be fine, "I've got good children. They will listen to what their mother says." It appeared that Grandma was really interested, that she really wanted Jesus. So the children, the teacher and the policeman, were consulted and came and said that they all wanted Jesus.
This is the way to develop people's inner hearts so that they are ready. We can learn from them just what they believe and what they are thinking. It is very important not to start from the beginning "teaching" at them. Everyone wants to believe that they "know". Everyone wants to appear intelligent. If we start teaching at them, they don't want anything to do with it. Therefore, it is critical to learn from them. Use their own words to teach, their own answers to point the direction. We know that Jesus is the owner of heaven. They cannot answer that question.
It is an important point to be willing to learn from other people. If we express our desire to learn from others, they are so pleased! They get to be our teachers! That is the nature of people. But the truth is, we have something that is even better: the good news of Jesus who can come into their own hearts. When the person finally accepts Christ, study the word together with that person. A church has been born. That first person is the key and others will follow. They start to share and others come, then more and more. This is the method of developing hearts by learning from them. If we try this method of learning from them, people will come. If we go out and start announcing the Christian religion, it will be very difficult. It is time to change, time to try a new methodology.
Endnotes:
1. This talk was originally given as hour two of a four hour seminary by Rev. Tongpan Phromedda at the Isaan Congress II held in Khon Kaen, Thailand October 18, 2000
2. Pra See An is a Thai legend prophesying another reincarnation of Buddha who will bring many miraculous signs. Many of these were believed to have happened at the turn of the Buddhist era 2500 (1957 AD) when electricity began to be spread to many villages. Another example is see in the prophecy "When Pra See An comes barking dogs will grow horns." Some Thai feel this was fulfilled with the introduction of noisy motorcycles with their long horn-shaped handlebars.
3. This reference to bathing in preparation for Pra See An's arrival is another part of the Pra See An prophecy.
4. John 1:10
5. Pra Meeseeah is the word used in the Thai Bible for the Messiah