| World travel will change your life. If you enlarge your | | | | they burn incense, uphold a statue of Buddha, and |
| heart, you will also enlarge your world. | | | | offer food sacrifices. They don't care in the least |
| 12 Compelling Reasons to Go! - Part I | | | | about being politically correct or offending some |
| 1.Jesus said to "Go into all the world and preach the | | | | non-religious employee or an employee who believes |
| good news to every creature." (Mark 16:15) Go is | | | | differently. |
| two-thirds of God's name. Everything that is living is | | | | Appeasement is the motive of many Buddhist |
| moving and going somewhere. God's children should | | | | practices, as they think they can appease and |
| be no different. We should always be on a mission to | | | | somewhat befriend evil spirits. Some of my Bible |
| explore, discover and impact the world. Jesus knew | | | | school students in Burma (formerly Buddhist monks |
| He must go through Samaria (John 4:4). Where is your | | | | themselves) told me that Buddhists fear evil spirits. |
| heart telling you to go? What places tug at your heart | | | | Upon reading the holy Bible and seeing the power |
| within and draw you to them? Life is lived to the full | | | | knowledgeable Christians possess, these Buddhist |
| when there is adventure involved. | | | | monks left Buddhism to worship and serve Jesus. In |
| Break free of monotony and go somewhere new this | | | | fact in the area along the Andaman Sea where we |
| year! Take some vacation time to explore the | | | | held the Bible school, an earthquake hit a Buddhist |
| unknown. Launch out into the deep to do something | | | | temple and leveled it to the ground. Suddenly all of the |
| new. Get a hold of God and let go of some of you. | | | | people in the village began saying, "The Christians God |
| Stimulate your senses and begin to live in God's | | | | is stronger than Buddha." |
| Presence. God loves the world. You should too! | | | | Prior to the earthquake, the founder of the Bible school |
| I once heard Pastor Ulf Ekman of Sweden say, "You | | | | Dr. Jack Tuls prayed over the area and at the location |
| never have a right to remain in your own country until | | | | of the Buddhist temple. It was no coincidence that the |
| you first have asked God where He wants you to | | | | earthquake leveled that temple. Almighty God had a |
| live." | | | | plan to awake those people to the reality of the risen |
| To many people their country has become an idol. | | | | Christ, the most high and one true God. |
| You should never worship the soil you were on which | | | | It was no different in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia |
| you were born. Yes you should be patriotic and favor | | | | where the tsunamis began and killed over 200,000 |
| your national cause, but first and foremost as a | | | | people. The tsunami epicenter was strategically |
| Christian your citizenship is in heaven. Therefore our | | | | located and no accident. For years Muslims in Banda |
| pilgrimage on earth should be such that we endeavor | | | | Aceh killed and persecuted Christians, burning down |
| to go to as many peoples as we can that we might | | | | churches and forbidding foreign aid workers entry to |
| win them to Christ for eternity. | | | | their province. Banda Aceh historically even was a |
| 2.See the wonders of the world. "Be glad and rejoice | | | | renegade province as the Muslims there had for many |
| for ever in that which I create" (Isaiah 65:18). Rejoice in | | | | years sought to break away from Indonesia to create |
| the beauty of God's creation. There are some | | | | their own separatist state. |
| amazing things to see that the Creator has made. | | | | God showed me the tsunamis sweeping through |
| Natural beauties such as the Niagara Falls, the | | | | southeast Asia in a dream a month before it ever |
| Amazon River, the Rain Forest, pristine islands | | | | happened. The devastation occurred December 26, |
| surrounded by oceans and seas, spectacular | | | | 2004. I watched it on TV from Paris, France and |
| mountains, breathtaking views, the Grand Canyon, wild | | | | wanted to go to Indonesia immediately upon seeing it. |
| game in African parks and middle east deserts all | | | | The Holy Spirit however forbade me to go saying, |
| enchant the soul and intrigue the eyes. Our Maker filled | | | | "Not yet." |
| the earth with countless wonders to be enjoyed. God | | | | Three months after when I finally got to Banda Aceh |
| gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Every | | | | to provide assistance with other relief workers, dead |
| country has its own peculiar natural beauty to be | | | | bodies were still being buried. My translator told me just |
| enjoyed. If you live near a lake, waterfall, lovely park or | | | | two weeks before I arrived the stench from dead |
| garden you should take time to enjoy it. | | | | bodies throughout the streets was so bad she got ill. |
| Beyond what the Creator Himself has made are the | | | | Thankfully I restrained myself from going until I felt the |
| many magnificent works of mankind. The Taj Mahal, | | | | Spirit of the Lord release me to go. |
| the leaning tower of Pisa, the magnificent paintings in | | | | Once I was in Banda Aceh I talked to local Pastors. I |
| the Louvre, and the Great Wall of China are just some | | | | learned that the Muslims had been plotting to burn |
| of many notable accomplishments worthy of seeing. | | | | churches down the morning of December 26th when |
| Yet unless you get a passport and pack your bags to | | | | the tsunami floods came. One Foursquare church had |
| go, you shall never experience such wonders of the | | | | been holding a prayer meeting on the third floor when |
| world. There is nothing like going abroad and | | | | suddenly they were all baptized. I saw the watermark |
| experiencing things firsthand yourself. TV and | | | | on the ground floor at the five-foot mark. This church |
| textbooks can educate you, but experience can effect | | | | was at least two miles from the ocean. |
| and impact you. | | | | I spoke to Muslim men who lost their wives and |
| 3.Dead religion needs to be destroyed. God is often | | | | children in a single day. One man told me he cried for |
| misrepresented by dead religion. People throughout the | | | | two months straight when he lost his family. One |
| world are enslaved to man-made religion. Traditions | | | | young man told me he saw the tsunamis coming, |
| and doctrines of men have bound the souls of | | | | jumped on his motorcycle and headed for the |
| mankind throughout the nations (Mark 7:13; Matthew | | | | mountains when suddenly the turbulent waters caught |
| 15:3,9). Demon spirits themselves have taken residence | | | | up to him, washed him off his motorbike and swept |
| within religions to exert their influence, enslave humanity | | | | him up to the mountains which were two coconut |
| and oppress people (1Timothy 4:1-3). Though many | | | | trees high. Beneath his feet were rushing waters with |
| may be sincere in their religious pursuits, a good | | | | debris consisting of trees, tin roofs, cars, human bodies |
| number are deceived and sincerely wrong. The God | | | | and everything else you can imagine. It was like a |
| of heaven is not religious. God is a Spirit not a religion | | | | gigantic blender beneath you ready to chop you up |
| (John 4:24). God wants you to be spiritual. The devil | | | | right along with it. |
| and man want you to be religious. God is real and | | | | Once at the epicenter in Banda Aceh, we met a |
| relatable. Religion is aloof and uncouth. As the apostle | | | | young man who courageously had begun collecting |
| Paul said throughout Asia, "There are no gods made | | | | bricks and materials to rebuild his home. Most other |
| with hands" (Acts 19:26). This message again needs to | | | | locals weren't even considering rebuilding as they |
| be trumpeted throughout the earth to destroy dead | | | | feared another tsunami would soon come to destroy |
| religion and its evil effects upon humanity. People need | | | | it. Isai and I felt an earthquake shaking our beds and |
| to be liberated from religion and drawn into a life-giving | | | | our entire hotel at 3am while we were there. The |
| relationship with their Creator. ***new paragraph*** I | | | | earthquakes and after shocks were ongoing. Nias, a |
| wrote a book titled God Hates Religion to set the | | | | neighboring island, was hit by an earthquake weeks |
| captives free. When you hate what God hates, you | | | | later which killed another 3,000 people. |
| will be ignited with a passion to fight for mankind that | | | | So even being there from a safety perspective wasn't |
| they might be free. Religion is deadly not divine. God | | | | the most brilliant move on our part. Nevertheless our |
| loves people (whether they are religious or not), but | | | | hearts went out to the Indonesians and we desired to |
| religion God has no tolerance for as it misrepresents | | | | be there. We helped the young man we met buy |
| Him and His heart. | | | | supplies and start rebuilding. We gave his family our |
| The only way to truly grasp how evil and deceiving | | | | tent to stay in next to their home while they rebuilt. His |
| religion is would be to go overseas and see it in | | | | home and neighborhood was just 100 meters from the |
| operation. When I was in Taipei, Taiwan I noticed a | | | | sea. So it was certainly understandable why many had |
| couple pizzas and two-liters of soft drink outside the | | | | not begun rebuilding. We prayed that by seeing him |
| entrance to a Pizza Hut. Being an American who had | | | | rebuild others would courageously follow and bounce |
| eaten at Pizza Hut many times before, I felt right at | | | | back from the tragedy of the tsunamis. |
| home and walked in. I immediately asked if I could eat | | | | The most memorable after effect however was the |
| those fresh baked pizzas outside. The manager said, | | | | changed hearts of the local people. Where in the past |
| "No." I said, "Why not?" He said, "That's for the spirits." I | | | | they forbade international aid workers and the |
| said, "What spirits." He said, "It is for the ghosts, to bring | | | | Christian community entrance into their province, now |
| our business good luck." | | | | they were humbly receiving all help and people with |
| Herein lies the motivation for the religious practices of | | | | open arms. I saw Muslim men and veiled women |
| many Buddhists. They fear evil spirits. Therefore they | | | | everywhere smiling and waving with gratitude |
| try to appease them with offerings of food, drink and | | | | expressing their thanksgiving for us being there. Truly |
| the burning of incense. It is quite common to see | | | | the unification of all peoples and the change of hearts |
| businesses throughout Asia erect a shrine in which | | | | was the greatest and most notable miracle. |