Decker, Dan: Missionary To Bangladesh-01

Gracious loving Father, we thank thee for thy love and for thy mercy. Thank you, Lord, for the fellowship of the saints, and as thou has brought us together for one purpose, the subject which is very close to thy heart, and that in turn has become closer to our hearts, is the outreach, because thy commission is go into all the world and preach the gospel. And Lord, thy will is that no one should perish, and the responsibility that thou hast given to us as a neighbor and wretched human being. And as Paul has beautifully expressed, the love of Christ constraineth me. And thou hast given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Lord, unworthy that we are, and yet thou hast called us. We thank thee, Lord, and only thou can enable us to do this task. The Lord Jesus, we need thy guidance. We need to understand fully what thou are teaching us. So we consider this, Lord, we pray that thou would guide us and bless us together, because I ask in thy precious and holy name. Amen. If you turn with me to Luke chapter twenty four, starting from verse thirty six. Luke chapter twenty four, starting from verse thirty six. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and apra- uprided, and supposed that they had a- seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your heart? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they had believed not of joy and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of royal fish and of an honeycomb, and he took it and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, though, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. The verse is forty four. and he said unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms. And this is what all our message is all about, is that God has revealed himself through the law of Moses, through the prophets, and Psalm. And it says that then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. Without the Spirit of God, without the Holy Spirit of God, we cannot understand the scriptures. And the Word of God says that Christ opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. First, he revealed himself. He said, I am the one that become, who has fulfilled. And this is the beauty of Christ and our Christianity is that he has fulfilled all the requirements according to the law of Moses, according to the prophets, and in the Psalms. That we have a historical person. We have a person in the, in Jesus Christ, who is God himself manifested in the flesh. Not according to anything else, but according to the law of Moses, the prophets, and Psalm. Thank and praise God that we have a historical God. And after he opened their understanding, this is what he gave them the commission. And, uh, Luke, in beautiful way, in here, as know, you know, he was a doctor and a great historian and a great writer, and then he said in his own words that in forty six, and he wrote forty six, he said, and he said unto them, this it is written. And you and I have a historical book. Thank and praise God that God has given us this book. It is all, it is written by the inspiration, by the prompting, by the direction of God, and that's why it is holy. Not only that, but it is also written because the holy man wrote. And in this day and age today, what people are trying to say is the word of God, but it is not written by the holy man. It is the writer and the writing is both inspired. And unless and until we come to this conclusion and we understand this fully, that this writing and the writers both were inspired. There's, there's the complete inspiration, and this is what Christ himself is saying, thus it is written. And remember, Christ himself quoted when he went through the temptation, and what did he say? It is written. It is written. So we have a foundation that you and I can are standing on is it is written. This is our first basis, and this is on this basis only that we have a missionary work. We have a mission to go to, and we have a thing to present because it is not somebody who has come with idea or somebody who has written a nice thesis or somebody who has come to conclusion that this is what it should be done. It is not, but it is because it is written and thus it behooves, and that simply means it became necessary, it became fitting for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. And it is, these are the two things, according to the Old Testament, that has been said that it, it became necessary, it became fitting for Christ. First thing is to suffer, and second thing is to rise from the dead the third day. And this is the message that you and I, because it is a historical person, God himself became flesh. Second thing what happened is that he suffered, and then he rose. And the dead the third day, and then look at forty seven. It says that, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. I was not Christian in India, and I remember I was visiting certain part of the country in Madhya Pradesh, and I went through, as I was driving through, I came to a very nice, clean village, and I stopped there and I asked one of the fellows, said, what is this? It's all, all surrounding area was nice, but not nice, but this is a very nice place. And he said, uh, I asked him what is his name, and uh, he was a village man, and he said, my name is David. I was kind of surprised, a fellow having a name David is very uncommon. And I said, what, uh, what, what are you? And he says, I'm a Missouri Lutheran, a Missouri Synod Christian. I said, where is that? I didn't even know there is existed a Missouri Synod, or it was in Missouri. I wasn't Christian that time. And he said, I'm a Missouri, uh, Lutheran Christian. And I said, where is that? And he said, it's somewhere in America. I asked the white man, why, why are you asking me? And this is not what the word of God says, or in India, certain parts, there are American Baptists, and there are Southern Baptists, and there are some, uh, uh, Canadian Baptists, and there are also some Mid-Baptists. Uh, so there are also all other things, but what the Word of God is saying is simply this. He said two things. He said, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached. What? In his name, not any other name. And this is what we have spoiled the Christian. This is where we have made it for others to criticize us. I work among international, they always ask me why there are so many denominations, why there are so many churches. Particularly they ask, uh, I remember one Indian fellow when I was studying in Chicago came to my house, and I took him to see the Moody, Moody Church, and I took him to the Moody, Moody Church service, and he was just two days old in America, and I asked him afterwards, I knew his father very well, and I asked him, what are your impressions? And he said, uh, I introduced him to the assistant pastor whom I knew, and he saw that lovely church, the Moody Church, and he asked the pastor, he said, how many times in a week this building is used? And he said, about twice on Sunday, and a couple of rooms we use in the during the week. And then he asked him, what is the, how is the place heated? It was first time he came, and he was very interested, so we took him downstairs and showed him all the furnace and how it heats and the air conditioning and all this, because he came to study air conditioning here. And he was quite intrigued, and he turned around and there's like a good engineer, he asked him, how much does it cost? And uh, he said about two thousand dollars a month. And he said, two thousand dollars a month, and you only use it four times a week. And, uh, he said, well, is it worth it? And, uh, pastor said, well, we feel it does. Then we continued the conversation as I was taking him home, and I asked him, what did you think of the service? And he said, uh, the only difference, he became very frank with me because I started explaining to him, I said, I want your first impression. And those are the precious ones when, uh, when somebody comes and gives you the impressions right away. And generally they don't, but I said, I want your frank opinion and like a friend. And I said, please tell me. And he said it was just like going to a movie, but instead of buying the ticket first when the basket was passed, I put it in the middle. And he said it was good singing, good preaching man was trained, and he preached very nicely, but I, I didn't get anything. And, uh, it is this, that's why he's saying that in the gospel, the repentance and the remission of sin should be preached in his name among all nations. This is what God has commanded to you and me, is with this message should be preached among all nations. And now the picture of this world is changing, is changing very rapidly. As you know, the missionaries are not welcomed in many, many countries, and yet God in his mercy has not left his plan alone. And he says a beginning at Jerusalem, and this responsibility God has given to you and me is to start at our Jerusalem. And it says that, let me repeat that again, the two things in forty sixth verse are that he should suffer and then he should rise. In forty seventh verse, it says that first thing is repentance and remission of sins. Second thing, it said that it should be preached in his name among all nations. And there's a, these couples are matched very beautifully in the word of God. And he says that it should be begin at the Jerusalem. Now let's look at the world situation. Missionaries are not allowed, but the people from the same country are coming here. In other words, what is happening is God is, has brought and is bringing the mission field at our doorstep. What I call this world outreach has become within the reach of you and me. Just imagine a few days, few years ago, uh, there were no Vietnamese. But this has here happened. There are so many Vietnamese families here. Um, from my country alone, there are about five thousand families in Washington area. There are three hundred Indian families in Harrisonburg area. There are five hundred. Indian families in Richmond, Virginia. There are close to two hundred families in Durham, Chapel Hill, and um, and Raleigh, in their area. And when I was in Atlanta, Georgia, there is a large number of families there. In Philadelphia, there are a large number of families. Now, in this area, I haven't seen any directory or anything, but there must be engineers, medical doctors, school teachers, professionals, businessmen must be in this area, who are from other countries. God has brought it here. They are in our Jerusalem. And this is what Christ is saying, that the his na- in his name, it should be preached among all nations. And these nations have come at our doorstep. And we have a responsibility under his leadership. Now, here what, here's what happens. We have a historical scriptures, um, and they they look at it and they always ask me, number of families ask me, what is this First Baptist Church or First Presbyterian Church? I, I tell them it was, this was the first church in this city. That's why it is called First Baptist Church, and they think it's another denomination. And, uh, they're always confused. It will be just like this, suppose a Hindu for Hindu temple is raised right here in the city, and the temple is here, and they invite you. How many of you and I will go to a Hindu temple to attend a worship service, to their worship service, to see the idol being worshiped? How many of you and I will go? I don't want to spend my time, and I feel it is foolish for me to go. It is exactly the same way the person from other religions feel if we invite him to come to church. But we could invite him to come to our house. We could invite him to come and have, create a friendship with us. And this is what we have lost, that I was sharing with my brother here, Bill Martin, that, uh, I feel that our, in our assembly, we have lost two things from my little experience that I have. First one is the importance and the respect for the word of God, the deep, deep down respect for the word of God. And second thing we have lost is the hospitality. I, I, I think it has to come back to that hospitality where we can bring unsaved persons in our home first. And then in to the assembly, then to the meeting of Christians. First, we have to learn to bring them in our home. Share our home, share our table should become a purpose. And we have seen in many, many ways that they are much more relaxed at home. The more relaxed we are, we haven't cooked very delicious meal or this kind of pies or anything, but simple meal, and we have seen them ask questions. They can't help it but ask questions since we have been praying. And they open up and ask questions, and first question always asked is, your children are different. And I said, not because they are, they are different, they are simply, uh, and they say they are very obedient. I said, they have their times. Why have our times? They are just like anybody else's children. But when people come, they behave a little better. Uh, and I said, no, it's not. And uh, they say, oh, they, are they Christian? And uh, I say yes. And they say, oh yeah, because you are Christian. And I said, no. This is what the difference is. When in a Hindu home, when a Hindu, you're born in a Hindu home, you're a Hindu. You're born in a Buddhist home, you're a Buddhist. You're born in Islam, a Muslim home, you're a Muslim. But I said, not in a Christian home. In a Christian home, you have to receive Jesus Christ. You have to make a decision for yourself. They looked at me with big eyes, and they said, what do you mean? I said, not because they are Christian, because they are born in my family. They're born to me and my wife. They, that does not make them Christian. They are Christian because they have to make a decision for themselves, and this is new to them. Even many Americans don't understand this. And I said, this is what the Word of God says, that he must be born again. That does not, when you receive Jesus Christ as your personal savior and Lord, then you are born again, and that's what makes them Christian. And many of them were surprised. The second thing I always emphasize is Christianity is not a religion, but it is a relationship. And this is a completely new concept to many of them. Christianity is not a religion, but it is a relationship, and that's why it is alive, and that's why it is dynamite. That's why it is dynamism that keeps one alive, and there's excitement in the living, because it is a relationship. And they said, we don't understand that. I said, when you are born, you are born in the family of Adam, and this is what the scripture says. And then you have to be born from this family of Adam into the family of God, and in between is the cross. And we have to come to the cross in order to cross over to the family of God. And I tell them what the scriptures have concluded, that we are under damnation, we are under sin. And then I explain to them what sin is. Many of them think simply because I have committed, he says, well, I haven't committed any adultery. I haven't stolen anything. I haven't done any, uh, outward signs. I said, this is not the scripture concludes. Scripture concludes that it says that by birth and by will and by desire, man is selfish. In other words, he does not recognize God. And I said, this is what the scripture means when it says sin. Sin is a rebelliousness against God and simply saying, God, I don't want you. I don't recognize you. And I said, that is what sin is, and because of that, there is an emptiness in in man's life. And this emptiness is the one which drawing everyone to despair. I have a magazine here, which is written by the University of Maryland, and it is, uh, the issue of February nineteen seventy six. This is sent to all the alumni, and it has a circulation of about, um, sixty four thousand. This magazine is sent to, and it is the article, the headline of the issue deals about the future. And this, uh, this magazine is printed by the University of Maryland, and the professors have given their ideas about what the future is. And suppose there's an Indian family or a foreign family who comes to the university, and they generally they have third idea is America is a Christian nation. And I tell them America is not a Christian nation. If it is a Christian nation, then why prayer is banned from school? Just imagine, I said, if Islam, any Arab country or India is a Hindu country, and I said, just imagine Hindu dropping their Gita, reading of their book Gita, or Quran dropping, reading Quran from their schools or from the radio station. And every, every time the radio starts in Muslim country, it starts with reading of Quran. Or in India, it starts with reading of Gita and closes with the reading of Quran in a Muslim country, and India it closes with reading of Gita. And I said, just imagine, uh, in Islam, you call, uh, Arabia or all any other Islamic country and not allowing to read the Quran. And he said, no, it's not possible. And I said, if you consider America as a very Christian country, then why is it banned prayer from the school? It is not a Chris- Christian country. It is, uh, it is not a Christian country, but it is, um, uh, it is, it's not Christian, but it is, um, what country? Secular country. And I said it is, uh, there are Christians in this country, but they are in minority. They are in minority. You know, Protestants are the highest number, then the Catholics are, then the Jews are. I said, no, but our Christians I'm talking about are the born-again Christians are in minority. And I thank in God, I said they are in minority, but their influence is great. And this, they don't understand it. I said, you cannot understand because they are much more on the knees. And I said, I have fellowship and friendship with many Christians who are on knees for praying for not only this country, for, for the world. I said, I've never heard it. He says, Americans praying, they're so busy. When I came to this country first, you know, I always wonder, because I saw first time when I was, uh, I was introduced to a Canadian family, I came in state, and uh, um, next door family invited me, uh, for, uh, they said they will, they'll serve me some Canadian delicacies. And my host family said, come on, come on, they have invited you and us. So we went there, and the lady came. I was watching boxing, the first time I ever saw television. And as I was sitting there watching boxing, I was quite intrigued, and my host family asked me, do you know boxing? And I said, yes, I know. And he was explaining the points, and I said it's exactly the same way the points are. And as they were boxing, the lady came, and uh, she turned to me. I was very intrigued, and I was watching, and she said, would you like to have a punch? And I looked at her, and I, in my heart, I said, I knew about the American- Canadian ladies and American ladies, but I never thought of being that daring. And I said, no thanks. And, um, my host, uh, my hostess, she said, Kamal, why don't you? I said, she asked me for a punch. And I said, ah, no, no, she said this drink is punch. I said, what? And then he came around, and I was watching still that, uh, boxing. He came along, and he came with a bun and a wiggly thing in, in the middle, and, and he this, and he said, would you like to try this? I said, what is it? I said, at least let me know what it is, because I came ready to eat anything. But at least I said, I want to know what it is. Uh, because this Indian food is quite spicy, and it is quite delicious, and here is everything is blah. And I said, I'll eat anything now. And uh, he said, would you like to have this hot dog? I said, I said, what? And he said, hot dog. And I turned to him and I said, no thanks. And my host, my hostess came again and she said, why, what happened, Kamal? I said, I don't want to eat dog meat. And to this day, nobody has explained to me why is it called hot dog. Wieners I can understand, but hot dogs I don't. And then she explained to me what it was. Then I had a couple of them and I really liked it. Uh, and like this, when Indian families or any foreign family comes to school, has come with a bright idea, and here is when he comes here, he thinks that America is a great society. America is Ethiopia, which has achieved all this. They have reached the moon, and they have achieved all social and psychological and educational resources are the best at this side. Here he comes to the university, and here he is fed day after day, day after day, day after day, this kind of thing. And let me read it to you, what is the future of these educated men of different fields are saying. That this is an editorial, and it says, the future is the theme of this issue of Maryland, and the magazine is called Maryland. As we collected the ideas of faculty members and other thinkers about what the future will bring, we found that most of our sources were reluctant to make predictions, such as but would speculate about where the present is leading us. It soon became evident that most people think we are laying a path towards ruin. These are the educated men who are influencing others, the future generation, and this is what they are saying, that, uh, it seems it became evident that most people think we are laying a track toward ruin. We focus next ten years, just next ten years. This art- this whole article, it says, um, the prospects for the distant future were more than most of our sources wanted to pay. Just next ten years. First thing he's saying, the soothsayers are soften their words with the proverb, when we really want to do, we can do anything. Some said we have the power to deal with our energy problem, our population problems, our pollution problems, and our food problems, and all of which are delicately interrelated, but we are not geared up like we should be. Second, some said we have lost our sense of national purpose, and unless we can regain, we will never solve the problem. Now, third type of people. The pessimists would say we can't do it. Optimists are hard to find. It seems that the realistic attitude lies somewhere between we should all take it upon ourselves to stop using aerosols in the name of staying the ozone layer and to live for today. Who cares about tomorrow? When things reach the point we will absolutely have no comfort, our collective problems, in order to survive, we will. When survival becomes our purpose, it will give us the sense of unity needed to prevail. When the second article is about dark of ages, I don't want to go into that. And then there is something to look for towards a doomsday. And this is the educated people of our age talking about from ten years from now what's going to happen. And it said doomsday has always been an unsettling concept, even if the main event wasn't scheduled until eternity. It became more frightening as it took a nuclear and as well as a biblical overtones after the flash sky of Hiroshima on August six, nineteen forty And this is what first thing they are saying is Americans do own more than fifty million guns and do use them and murder ten thousand of their fellows each year. Future shock and brain strain and other forms of stress are doing a job of our collective psyche, and in nineteen seventy five alone, the cost of school vandalism, assault, and theft did amount to more than five um, hundred million. And the second thing they are saying, to make matters worse, two high-profile business collapsed in nineteen seventy five involved companies as beloved as Apple Pie. REA Express died after one hundred and thirty six years of faithful delivery, and WP Grant, the nation's third largest chain of variety stores, filed for bankruptcy in October. If, if doomsday isn't here, it isn't far off. Third thing they are saying, I mentioned earlier, depression is hitting Americans with a vengeance, victimizing one in every ten adults. A study conducted by the Yale University Med- School of Medicine found that this depression occurs most frequently among women and children of age between ages ten twenty and forty. Fourth thing they are saying, if that were not enough. Fourth thing they are saying, if that were not enough, wife beating is apparently on the rise. And this is happening in the Maryland affluent Montgomery County, where there's a, a country, for example, it becomes alarmingly more widespread. Uh, according to a recent report by County Task Force, among the causes cited, uh, sites are stress and unrealistic expectations, coupled with a feeling that the wage earner is not providing adequately. And I go on. There are more number of other things written. And with this coming on to you day after day and day, and professors are hampering that we have no hope, man becomes depressed. In Yale University alone, there are twenty four psychiatrists who are on full-time staff just dealing with the professors. And among these psychiatrists, there are six of them who are on full-time basis and dealing with the psychiatrists themselves. This is a fact, and this is what's happening, and this is where we are turning to. And I thank God that since I became a Christian, I have a hope. I am not ruined. I have a hope because Jesus Christ is.