Daily Topic for July 11, 2009
This verse shows how narrow and inflexible our faith is. The person who reads this, be they a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Hindu, or a secularist, is faced with only one mediator between God and man. How hard it is to accept this, but how necessary it is!
Pray that the Holy Spirit will give the peoples of Mongolia the humanly impossible faith to believe and act on the fact that Jesus is their only way to God.
“When in Tu land, do as the Tu do.” As we approached the Tu village, men met us. They wore collared shirts, brightly embroidered, cloth robes and felt hats with brocade brims. Even their shoes gave a rainbow effect. We sat as they neared. The Tu men offered me three cups of wine. I whispered to my translator, “I do not drink wine.” He said, “Sir, if you do not drink these, they will not let you into their village.” So I drank. Upon entering the village, my hosts gave me three more cups of wine. These too I had to drink. After completing our visit, they gave another three cups. This practice is an expression of Tu hospitality. But to refuse meant bringing offense.
I was there just as a tourist, but I wondered how a missionary might approach this village. Drinking this much wine would make anyone inebriated. But one would have to do it to even be allowed into the village!
The Tu people are almost exclusively Tibetan Buddhists, and they have four large monasteries in their region. But shamanism weaves its way into most of their Buddhist practices. Some shamans focus on bringing good luck to people. Others are employed to bring curses.
Learn more at joshuaproject.netPray that Chinese believers will enter the Tu world to bring the gospel to them. Pray that the Holy Spirit will go before his emissaries to prepare the way for His good news.-EF