Freedom in Legalism

"They were telling me I was really free
They could see it by the way I used my words
But in the dark of night I could see that they weren’t right
Because speeches are to free as cages are to birds"
-Heart Attack Time Machine by Don Chaffer

I love that line of that song. Did I mention I was able to score the new record, and I love it?

OK, so what's been happening in SE Asia? We've been a little busy, you might say.

Things in our last country went by like a flash. I can't believe we've been there and left already. We loved the people. So loving and... I know it'll take me a while to find words and process all that happened there. It is such a spiritual land. You can't go anywhere without finding Buddhist monks and pagodas (places of individual worship) that are covered in gold.

Buddhism is a religion of self-reliance. I wish I understood it better, but the line of Buddhism in MM is of the Theravada line. It has stayed more true to Buddhism in its original forms than many other types in SE Asia. It has so many laws and rules that people are to follow. Many monks have dedicated themselves to trying to follow these laws so that they can achieve an existence of having no desires or pain and suffering.

It really is very similar to the law that God laid down for us in the Hebrew Scriptures. The law served to show us that we are unable to follow the law perfectly on our own, so we need help from Someone else. It points at God and reveals our need for Him.

The same is similar of Buddhism.

I think it has served as a training tool that God can use to show grace to these people. Many monks have realized that there is no way they can follow all of the rules to reach the end of suffering. When they hear of Christ and how He was able to meet the requirements of the law for us, it makes sense to them!

This is why I have such hope for MM to become a nation that follows Christ. If this nation of Buddhists in the seat of Buddhism in SE Asia were to become a Christ-following nation, what a far-reaching affect it would have across the whole of Buddhist Asia!

The Christianity in MM is very conservative and even legalistic. At first, when we hear this in the Western Church, we think bad thoughts. Legalism can be such a bad thing. But the reality is that a legalistic church in MM is a very good thing for those coming out of Buddhism, a very legalistic religion. To Buddhists in MM, Christianity looks freeing! And how freeing it must be to realize that you no longer have to be able to follow every rule to the letter! But, if Christianity in the East were like Christianity in the West, it would look like universalism or something fake, as if there were no dedication or hard work required. This would appear too scary or false for Buddhists, a people naturally bent toward hard work, to be attracted to.

Maybe I haven't stated it too clearly, but we came away from MM feeling that the church in the country is on the cusp of an explosion. Things are about to happen, and the church there is ready to grow and challenge their Buddhist brothers and sisters to join them.

Well, there're plenty more stories to tell later, but I must be going. As for now, we're in Thailand teaching a whole lot of English nearly every day. This summer has been a challenging one, and often our team has stepped up the task of staying encouraging and working hard. It's been a great summer to lead these three girls with my wife. Thank you so much for your prayers!

We'll be back soon!

Later guys,
Matt