Crises on the Mission Field

Sounds like you got that right John, a crisis, but also an opportunity. I will pray for Mr. H, his girl, and you to make the right decisions in this situation.

I will through this out for what it is worth, I have had to really evaluate my standards for who I will and will not marry. I was a hardline case before about unequal unions and everything else. I refused a couple a few years ago because they were living together. I see that couple today and they are totally out of church and I feel that I really missed an opportunity to minister to them. I think some of the rules we make for ourselves and call standards need to be evaluated from time to time through prayer and in light of God's word. Does God really hold us accountable for a union just because we do the ceremony? How far does our responsibility go? I never want my actions to drive someone away from the gospel.

May God's wisdom fill you and lead you.

 

Be praying for you, John. I am going through several crises (not a mis-spelling, that is plural for crisis) right now. Just found out my mother has cancer, plus seeking the Lord's will for the next step in our lives after turning the church over to a national, moving out of our rented house, son sick, etc.

Truth be told sometimes I think we missionaries move from crisis to crisis. :laugh:

Keep us posted.

 

Mr. H. was so excited

Mr. H. was so excited he has already said yes to the folks that set up the meeting! But though he himself talked the whole time, he forgot to tell her he was a Christian! So we know very little about the lady and her religion. He expects to hear sometime this week if she likes him enough to continue seeing him.

This brings up lots of possibilites if she does say yes. (Mr. H. does have some negatives as well as some solid positives.) How much does she want to get married? Enough to start coming to church? Will she be willing to trust Christ as Savior? Will I be asked to marry an unequally yoked couple? If I then refuse, will this hurt him deeply enough so that he quits church?

This is what I see in reading about this "Mr. H." . One is that God has put into man a desire to be married--in fact scripture said that it was not good that man be ALONE! This is not mio -Paco talking but God.
God also made man to love a woman. That is physical and spiritural. What ever brought them together--family or what people --listen to what is going on here. Itr is a God ordained agreement. God said when two or more were meeting and discussing and agreeing via talking, breaking bread and saluting etc. is our signature of agreement.Then it is to happen. Now issue Mr. H. forgot in all this excitement-- that God placed him in a very very comfort zone as well as that female companion want to be. God also promised--That if one is not of God in Spirit that your love of Jesus Christ be in you that God (Jesus Christ) will honor and the blodd atonement will cover that female under his marrage vows. I really think God got all things for his glory lined up--but ole Lucifer the deciever some how put that apple into Mr. H's path and said surly no die? or may die? Want american way or other doubts. What is it that all forget? God ordained. It is the custom and God ordained that custom over in Asia for all to perform. Jesus is Jesus in someones heart regardless of the circumstances. Look at the Jews who married other culture women. God honored that unionship--WHY? God ordain that it is Good that man has a wife!!! So, what is the problem here!! I leave in Christ. Paco

 

Chariot:

I agree with most of what you said about God wanting men to marry and all that, but what I think your missing here is that Mr. H. did not discuss his faith with the prospective bride. I think that is very important. How can a relationship succeed unless the parties know what they are getting into? In a secular nation like Japan I would think that it is an even more important issue to discuss than in the United States because Christians are such a small percentage of the population.

You grammar is a bit difficult. When you said:

Are you saying that the woman will be saved because of her marriage? While the relationship might lead to her accepting Christ that still needs to be an individual decision on her part. She will not be covered by the blood just because she marries a Christian.

I think we also need to realize that Satan loves to destroy Christians. You made the statement that:

Many times Satan uses sexual sins and sexual temptation to destroy Christians and a marriage relationship with the wrong person can be devastating. You also mentioned Jews who married women of other cultures and had unions honored by God. While that did occur (Moses, Ruth) those were cases where the non-Jewish women converted to Judaism. When those women kept their pagan culture and religion God did not honor those unions. Look at I Kings 11:4. Solomon’s wives turned his heart away from God.

Intermarriage with heathen people is forbidden in the Old Testament. Look at Nehemiah 13:23-27, Exodus 34:14-16, Deuteronomy 7:3-4, and Ezra 9:2.

This command continues into the New Testament with warnings not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. (II Cor 6:14)

These Old Testament verses have been used by racists over the years to condemn marriages that mix people of different skin color but if you look at the commands it has nothing to do with how we look and everything to do with what we believe. God does not, has not, and will not want his children to marry non believers. When those marriages do occur God may use it to lead the nonbeliever to himself but it is far more likely to destroy the Christian than save the non believer.

JoJ, do we know the apostle Paul never married? I know that when he wrote I Corinthians he was unmarried but could he have been married before or after? Is it possible that his strict Jewish wife might have left him when he was saved? I know of no proof of this for or against.

 

Kenya

John,

The majority of our BBFI missionaries are still on the field in Kenya. A couple have left, and another two families are on furlough. There are ABWE and BIMI folks still in country. One Independent independent guy is in Nakuru and most of his people have been placed in a refugee camp.

My missionary friend there tells me that while the politicans are politicking, the situation is eroding. He begs our prayers.

Blessings to you.