Lost Opportunties

This photo is of a Balinese man working on the wall of a new Hindu temple on the island of Belitung off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. He had recently moved to Belitung seeking better work opportunities in the growing tourist industry on the island. He worked as a volunteer building the temple to please the gods that he worships and fears.

If you visit a Hindu temple in Southeast Asia, you will notice that their gods are often vicious and cruel looking. They often have fangs dripping with blood, bulging eyes or blue, corpse like skin. When asked why Hindu gods looked so scary, this man replied that perhaps it was so people will fear them and serve them.

The door was wide open to share the Gospel with this man, but the worker let the opportunity pass. It’s a shameful thing to leave one’s country, move to a foreign field, and learn a new language for the opportunity to share the Gospel, and then to have an opportunity and not share. It’s a shameful thing for any believer to have the chance to share, but to remain silent. Believers in Jesus Christ have been called to be His witnesses. If we remain silent, then we are not being obedient to the mission that God has given to us as His ambassadors on earth.

Pray that workers on Sumatra will be bold to take every opportunity that God gives to them to share the Gospel.

Pray that workers will deeply feel the burden of lost souls, so that they will not be able to remain silent when they have a chance to proclaim words of life to the lost peoples of Sumatra.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of people to hear and receive the Gospel and be obedient to follow Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.