Retreating doesn't resolve conflicts

"I get frustrated with all the talk around here, I've been spending most of my days by myself in my unit or watching TV," Jack admitted, recently.  Jack is an inmate at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent and we've met together regularly the ninth months he has been here.  

This retreating away from others is Jack's pattern.  He gets really hard on others all around him. We often discuss ways to get away from the stress with short time-outs racked back in his unit.  

As a Christian, he meets with several others for Bible reading and fellowship most days. In the process, he gets disrupted and stays away from the guys who really care about him for several days.  

Jack is writing out his testimony.  We talk about what the Lord has done and continues to do in his life.  Retreating from conflicts isn't solving his inner turmoil.

In balance, most of the men don't tell the chaplains everything that happens when they share about their conflicts in their units in the day rooms. The picture presented to us is most often warped. Once recently, the day officer who knows Jack well even confronted  Jack about staying away from the others. 

             Preparing for the Republic of the Congo in May

Before I share more about Jack, I am raising support, about 1/4 completed toward $3,500, and making plans for another PFC short-term missions trip to the Republic of the Congo beginning May 1 with Nate Bean and Greg and Rhonda Von Tobel.  I'll be overseeing finances with our Excel spreadsheet again and coordinating our airport travel details as part of my servant-leadership training.

We are planning three evangelistic prison services and two conferences to encourage those already serving in prisons and others wanting to get started.

This is the geographically smaller and more western on the two Congo nations in Africa, the other being the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  We will be flying into Brazzaville, on the southeast borde


                                                        
                               
                              Conflicts stir most days
It is common for conflicts to stir just below the surface most days--the reality of jail and prison life everywhere.  Often, it takes very little for these little things to erupt. The men stay in an open day room with circular tables and plastic chairs.  They can play cards and watch TV while they are out.  They can walk around and get exercise in the contained recreation area.  Guys talk about their lives outside the jail and often tell expanded stories about what is going on.  

The guys get frazzled around twisted attitudes and short tempers.  Some get frustrated enough to raise their voices, argue, and occasionally break into fights.  I remind the guys they are incarcerated.  Some purposefully look for ways to get under their fellow-inmates skin.  Others are manipulating controllers. If they can draw another man into their behaviors, they like it all the more--they think highly of getting others suckered in.

                                 Resolving conflicts
Jack and the other men know they struggle with conflicts.  It is a defeating cycle and for many of them, a pattern in their lives since boyhood. We read and carefully walk through key Bible passages with men about practical spiritual growth so their wives, children, and families recognize their transformation.  Some grow a great deal.  Others talk a good game.  Another group deeply cares and makes small but real incremental steps of growth.

Recently, I attended a Friday-Saturday regional seminar in Beaverton, Oregon about Biblical peacemaking--applying the gospel to conflicts of daily life through Peacemaker Ministries out of Billings, Montana with some new friends from the Maple Valley Presbyterian Church.

I read a book by Ken Sande around 20 years ago called, "The Peacemaker."  I've returned back several times as conflicts arose among my own family, our employment, and stir within our churches we attend.  While I served as a pastor in two small churches, we struggled very unsuccessfully with unresolved conflicts. Conflict is everywhere.

Over the years, I've gone to seminars that seemed so good while attending but when I returned the material didn't fit.  I thought it would all be so good.  While at this event, it was very clear I could start using the material, immediately. Starting this past week, I  actively tweak my presentations for the individuals I am sharing with.

                             Escape or attack modes    
Returning to Jack, in my inmate discussion, Peacemaker Ministries presentation notes we revert to escape or attack when we are confronted with a sticky conflict.  

I asked Jack and he didn't hesitate.  He retreats.  He runs away.  He hides within himself.  I asked what his wife would say.  He said, she would say I escape away from the family.  


The escaping person might go so far as to consider suicide.  Most often, they flee or live in a world of denial.  In some ways, this escape mode is every bit as aggressive.  The passive aggressive response is an assertive way to seek attention and manipulate others.  

The attacking person might consider murdering another person.  Yes, again, that is far out. They will verbal assault or accusation. Their legal action is litigation.  

The purpose is to move further inside the peacemaker responses.  the peaceful person overlooks an offense toward reconciliation.  Negotiation with compromise and win-win between the parties is the goal.  Mediation with a third party to facilitate compromise may be required.  We want to draw as close to win-win, as possible.  If needed, we agree to a mediated resolution so we can move ahead productively.

In order to resolve conflict, it seems so basic to note both parties need to be willing to participate.  We know, sometimes circumstances are so strained communication and participation becomes very hard. 

How do you respond to unresolved conflict or when you don't get your way?  Do you escape or attack? Where are you at on the diagram?  

Police follow-up in Chennai

We confronted yet one more unexpected event every day on the last leg in our short-term India missions trip to Chennai and back up to Dehli. Chennai is on the southeastern coast of India.

I am making plans for our next missions trip to the Congo beginning May 1 with Nate Bean, and Greg and Rhonda Von Tobel.

When we got to Chennai, we connected with Prem Raj, our PFC missionary for the southern part of India, and Charles Finney, who is working with Prem Raj.  We participated in two teaching conferences and visited the Basilica of St. Thomas and the St. Thomas Mount around Chennai.

We visited Chennai's beach, recognized as the largest in the world and the site of a chilling tsunami in 2004 and tremors from an 8.6 Indonesian earthquake in April of 2012.

We also visited an Christian orphanage with 46 children Charles Finney helps to oversee.  Looking out over the children on that sunny day, I actively prayed for several couples in our Faith Baptist Church family who adopted children over the past many years.  

Families take orphans one by one.  The remaining children stay where they are. There are teams of faithful workers who care for these precious youth until the kids are 18.  What a quiet ministry.  Some orphanages care for children of inmates.

Greg led prayer

Just before departing for Dehli, our team visited with Charles in his Chennai home.  In the adjacent picture, Greg Von Tobel and our team prayed with Scott Minter, Prem Raj, Charles Finney, and me.  Don Szolomayer rested on that day.

Police follow-up in Chennai
During the conferences, I taught sessions on working with prison officer staff members and the code of conduct, knowing and following the rules in the jails and prisons where we serve.  

We learned the police visited the host church where we presented the second conference after we departed--another chapter to take a deep breath and surrender the trip to the Lord.  It appears the police wanted to know what we, the foreign missionaries, were presenting or what we were doing there.

The exact reason for the police follow-up was never made clear.  After our initial experiences at the prayer conference the previous week, we asked among ourselves if there was some kind of connection between the two events. What kinds of spiritual warfare might have been active around us?  As we prayed, we asked Him for discernment concerning our time in India.  We still don't know the direct answers to our questions.

When we are sharing with people in the country and traveling, I now see why we identify ourselves as tourists and emphasize the places we visit.  I shared once about teaching conferences and described it as character development. 

I was cautioned about quietly singing hymns on a previous trip.


Dehli included the Red Fort

Red Fort in Old Dehli

Before returning home, we completed a shopping tour in Dehli and visited the outside of the Red Fort with Joshua Gawda, our PFC missionary in the northern part of India.  

Wikipedia notes the Red Fort was built in 1638:

The Red Fort covers a total area of about 254.67 acres enclosed within 2.4 kilometres of defence walls.^[1] The walls are punctuated by turrets and bastions. They vary in height from 18 m on the river side to 33 m on the city side. The fort is shaped like an octagon with the north-south axis longer than the east-west axis. The use of marble, floral decorations, double domes in the buildings inside the fort exemplifies the later phase of Mughal architecture.^[20]

It showcases a very high level of art form and ornamental work. It is believed that the Kohinoor diamond was a part of the furniture. The art work in the Fort is a synthesis of Persian, European and Indian art which resulted in the development of unique Shahjahani style which is very rich in form, expression and color. Red Fort is one of the important building complexes of India which encapsulates a long period of Indian history and its arts. Even before its notification as a monument of national importance in the year 1913, efforts were made to preserve and conserve the Red Fort, for posterity.

We also had lunches at KFC and McDonalds, both more expensive than other restaurants.  While in a foreign country, we don't drink fruit juices or unbottled water.  We don't eat lettuce, uncooked vegetables, or tomato slices.  We are careful what we order. 

I am especially cautious everywhere because I don't handle spicey foods nor curry-flavored items. Yes, that means I watch very carefully and commonly eat smaller meals.  That doesn't hurt anything.  

Apostle Thomas sites were deeply moving

Thomas touching Jesus

Visiting the sites surrounding the Apostle Thomas were more deeply moving for me than I ever anticipated.  He planted several churches in the southern region of India and made in-roads with the Brahman Hindus.  Several of these Brahman chased him to the mountain and speared him in his martyrdom death.

The very clear historical foundation for our Biblical text was clearly established for me.  The apostles all took the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations very seriously, as I wrote before.  We were on location where Thomas evangelized and planted churches.

Once in a lifetime...every day

After completing our prayer conference ministry and being locked down with police presence in Lakhimpur, we returned to conduct our single prison service on this PFC missions trip in Loxnou.

As Scott Minter shared, we continued to experience once in a lifetime event...every day.

We couldn't have anything as big as being locked down in the conference.  Yes, we did.  Greg would call this the most frustrating prison service in 30 international missions trips for him.

With the activity filled up to 1500, we enjoyed participating with PFC missionaries Joshua Gowda from the Dehli region, and Arthur Cocker from this region along with his wife Janice and their adopted daughter Hannah.  Arthur shared we were the first foreign missionaries to provide a service at this facility.

Small group of inmates settled in
A music group led in worship and experienced trouble with their sound equipment which caused some of the inmates to stir.  

One group of inmates came in at the very beginning and remained really attentive the entire service.  That was not the case for most of the rest. 

Preaching from Luke 15

The disruptions built up.  The church group of young adults provided a very powerful Jesus Skit choreographed to music and tried to add more worship only to have more sound equipment problems.

We could smell and noticed several men smoking marijuana without correction by attending officers. Some inmates began leaving the service and the noise level ramped up.  Scott shared a testimony. 



Before my part of the service, Janice took the micophone and tried to quiet the inmates with limited results.  The officers took no action.  I spoke from Christ's parable in Luke 15:1-7 about the Good Shepherd and the lost sheep.  Jesus seeks, saves, and rejoices over broken people.


Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The Good Shepherd saves

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 
~Luke 15:1-7 ESV


The inmates were already almost out of control again halfway through my message.  I started praying in earnest and constantly while preaching. 

Inmates kept getting louder

Heaven rejoices

By the time Don entered his longer sermon on blind Bartimaeus, the entire power went out and stayed off for a solid 20 minutes.

The behaviors and noise built up to another level.  Don made several solid attempts to continue preaching and Janice intervened a second time both to no avail.  

More inmates continued to leave the room, the noise level remained dangerously high, and the officers took no action.  While still praying, it was clear something very harmful could have occurred.  


Now, we were praying together in small groups.  

We kept praying
Don finally gave up and joined us praying.  Greg calmly took a seat on the main floor.  There were still a flow of men drifting out of the service.  While Greg remained in his seat, we continued praying.  

Lost sheep saved
Finally, the men who came in at first, maybe 500, remained and quieted.  Greg gave an impassioned call for inmates to receive Jesus as Savior. Approximately 250 responded as Greg prayed and we laid hands on the heads of as many inmates as possible.  

Just another first time even every day on this global encounter--250 out of 1500 responded to the glory of God.  

As the men were praying with us, part of the team passed out Hindu language Gideon Bibles.  We participated in handing out 35 boxes of miscellaneous fruit.

The next day, we boarded a plane for Chennai.

Lakhimpur prayer encounters

Our first awesome leg of our PFC global encounter with Greg Von Tobel, Don Szolomayer, Scott Minter, and me was in Lakhimpur in the Khiri U.P.  We trekked three hours from Lucknow into the countryside of India for the North India Prayer Leadership Conference from February 18-23.

We met a broad spectrum of international missionaries who were invited by Roderick Gilbert, the host, who opened his 20-acre sugar cane and what farm for 3500 worshipers.

While Katharine delivered me to Sea-Tac Airport, I was incredibly blessed by Travis Allen as we shared prayer and encouragement around my trip.  Just before leaving Greg Von Tobel received an uplifting email from Howie Pollock from Steel Lake Presbyterian Church in Federal Way and now in Boise, Idaho on my behalf.  I was almost blessed to tears.

As many as received Him
Throughout the lengthy flights from Seattle to Amsterrdam, New Dehli, along with taxi rides to our ministry destinations, the Lord brought me back to a mind and spirit for Scripture memory review in the Gospel of John 1:11-18, 3:16-19 and 36; and  5:24.  I was struck by the stunning promise of John 1:12, "as many as received him..."

Wilson and Sheela George

Scott playing his mandolin

We met Pastor Wilson and Sheela George, from Chandigarh.  Wilson writes worship music and has recorded 26 albums.  Sheela preaches and teaches through Assembly of God and other churches. Scott Minter shared and played for Wilson and was privileged to play in a worship service at his invitation Friday morning.

Greg gave message to large tent on Thursday about 11.  Around 150 came forward for first time decisions and maybe three times that many came forward for healing prayer.  I participated in laying hands on and praying for those who came forward.



On several occasions throughout our time, Scott was blessed to play his mandolin.

Don, Scott, and I made a 30 minute presentation exhorting women to visit women and juvenile youth in India.  I spoke for ten minutes from Matt. 28:19-20 urging the women hearers to making disciples of all nations in the prisons and jails when they returned home..

Restricted to missions headquarters

Among the missions teams active at the prayer conference was a contingent from the Seattle area.  As two members of that team left for home Thursday, we learned their pictures were taken in a newspaper with an accompanying article accusing the conference of forced conversions by foreigners based on second and third hand quotes.  Nobody was quoted by name. 

A group of police interviewed or investigated Roderick about the multiple foreigners proselytizing around the conference on his private farm site.  As a result, the foreign missionaries were restricted to the conference headquarters house.  We could move around outside as long as we had no perceived contact with Indians nor their contact with us even to greet us.

It appeared our public ministry with still 3500 participants eager to have us touch them, take their pictures, and pray over them by touching their heads would be restricted heavily if not outright prohibited.

First conference presentation

We finally were allowed to carry out our two-hour PFC teaching conference session.  I spoke on working with staff, the code of conduct, and networking to build teams.  I seemed to relax and feel confident and free in speaking 

The drama with the outside photographers and police continued.  Roderick showed us a 16-inch knife in a bag was discovered on the grounds in the mid-afternoon. 

Police blue and red lights again

In the evening, four paparazzi-type photographers came back on the grounds and were detained by Roderick's team.  One photographer somehow jumped off a balcony and escaped.  The cameras were confiscated and the three accused were encircled by women until the police arrived.  The foreign missionaries again were restricted to the headquarters site.

We left on Saturday the 23rd encouraged and ready for our Lucknow phase which would call us to even deeper focused prayer as we watched the Lord do awesome things and the enemy work to tear down.

Revisiting the Gospel of Thomas

Our PFC global encounter team is sitting in layover at the Amsterdam Airport after our 10-hour flight from Sea-Tac Airport.  In about three hours, we'll board for an eight- hour flight to New Dehli.

In my previous blog, I introduced the missionary travel of the Apostle Thomas around Chennai, India.  One of the Gnostic Gospels uses his name.  Here is some background information about this writing.

The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings of Jesus that was discovered in 1945 at the village of Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Before the Nag Hammadi discovery, very little was known about the Gospel of Thomas other than three small fragments from Oxyrynchus that date to 200 A.D. and roughly a half dozen allusions from church fathers. The manuscripts discovered at Nag Hammadi date to around 340 A.D., though the original composition of the Gospel of Thomas was definitely before that time, probably sometime around 140 to 180 A.D.

The date of this writing

Even though the Gospel of Thomas is perhaps the earliest, most popular, and best "Gnostic" Gospel around, it does not belong in the New Testament since it was written in the second century at a time when all of the apostles of Christianity had already died. This second century date of composition is demonstrated by: 

(1) its dependence on more than half of the New Testament writings, 

(2) its likely mid to late second century Syrian influence, 

(3) its heretical nature with Gnostic overtones, 

(4) its lack of references from early church fathers or first century witnesses, 

(5) its disagreements and variations from the first century context of the New Testament gospels, and 

(6) its self-conscious promotion as an apostolic book which reflects a later time period. In fact, even many adherents to a first century origin for the Gospel of Thomas argue that, in its present form, Thomas reflects later editing.

The Gospel of Thomas and other "gnostic" or non-canonical proclamations of Jesus:

• do not narrate the story of Jesus.
• do not proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
• do not recount the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Problem areas
Besides not recounting the core message of the ministry of Jesus we see in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, here are 21 highly problematic verses in this Gospel of Thomas

7 Jesus said, “Lucky is the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And foul is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human.”

11 Jesus said, “This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?”

12 The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."

14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.

15 Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father."

19 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the one who came into being before coming into being. If you become my disciples and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees in Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death."

22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom." They said to him, "Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."

27 "If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father."—-I agree with this, because to not observe the Sabbath is breaking the fourth commandment. But, the vast majority of modern Christianity wouldn’t be “edified” by this; they would see it as bondage and legalism.

30 Jesus said, "Where there are three deities, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with that one."

37 His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?" Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid."

42 Jesus said, "Be passersby."

50 Jesus said, "If they say to you, ‘Where have you come from?’ say to them, ‘We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and appeared in their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.’ If they ask you, ‘What is the evidence of your Father in you?’ say to them, ‘It is motion and rest.’"

51 His disciples said to him, "When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you are looking forward to has come, but you don’t know it."

53 His disciples said to him, "is circumcision useful or not?" He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect."

77 Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

84 Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!"

98 Jesus said, The Father’s kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one.

105 Jesus said, "Whoever knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a whore."

107 Jesus said, The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety- nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, ‘I love you more than the ninety- nine.’

113 His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" "It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Rather, the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it."

114 Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."

Considering the Apostle Thomas in Chennai

With our PFC missions trip less than ten days away, I am praying for what and who we will see and the great things the Lord will do all around us.

I will be traveling with Greg Von Tobel, Don Szolomayer, and Scott Minter on February 16-March 1 to Lucknow and Chennai, India.  

This short-term global encounter will focus heavily on conferences to pastors and new prison volunteers.  We are also planning on visiting three prisons.

Lucknow, population 4.6 million, is known as a seat of Shi'ism and the epitome of Shia culture in India. It is famous for Muharram and associated azadari movement. Chennai, population 8 million, is predominantly Brahmin.

Most sites recognize a Christian presence across India of 2 to 3% facing multiple levels of persecution as Hindus and other sects seek to win back those who were converted to Christ.

Basilica of St. Thomas in Chennai

The Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew appear to have carried out a missionary outreach together around southern India, near Chennai.  We are planning to visit the Basilica of St. Thomas where he is buried.  I am not sure how we will see it or what my reaction will be.

How seriously did the apostles take Christ's command to "make disciples of all nations," from Matthew 28:19-20?

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”   ~Acts 1:8

In my prior studies on the apostles, I focused on their martyrdom experiences.  They took the Great Commission very seriously.  They obeyed.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, they made disciples of all nations.

Historians Hippolytus and Eusebius record that Thomas was an active missionary, and that he met his fate in India.  He preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Margians, and was thrust through in the four members of his body with a pine spear at Calamene, (Chennai) India, and was buried there.

The power of the Spirit to get beyond ourselves
Most of us are complex, and may be similar to Thomas.  He had dark, doubting side.  He also had a faith-declaring, and disciple-making sides.  The Holy Spirit rested on him and filled him.  The Lord used him as a missionary to reach a part of the international stage for the Kingdom God.  He obeyed the Great Commission, despite whatever weaknesses he possessed.

There are so many reasons to stay home to keep what we believe private.  Some struggle to share saving truth with a neighbor or co-worker.  Even if a friend asks, you and I might wilt under dark moments of pessimism.  Like Thomas, the power of God changes everything.  The Lord let him get up close and touch Him.

Thomas had a dark side
In John 11, Thomas showed a dark side to Jesus after He prepared to to go Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus wanted to build their faith.  Mary and Martha told them about the death of Lazarus. The disciples warned Jesus about the Jews who tried to stone Him before. 


Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  
~John 11:14-16 ESV

Thomas was fearful really bad things would happen if they went back to Judea.  If Jesus was stoned to death, this time, he and all the disciples might die, as well.  They were all about to see  one of the greatest miracles in the entire Bible.  Christ was taking action to deepen their faith.  Fear gripped the heart of Thomas.  He saw the hard, worst side of his journey with Christ.  His pessimism showed itself again.

Thomas had a doubting side
We remember the account of Christ's post-resurrection appearances in John's gospel.  When Jesus first appeared to the disciples, Thomas was not present.  Jesus knew what Thomas had said and He set out to build his faith for the work he would do.

My Lord and my God!

"Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

Thomas had a declaring side
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”"     ~John 20:19-29 ESV

Thomas had a disciple-making side
In Acts 1 and 2, we find Thomas remained with the apostles after the ascension of Christ as they awaited for the promised work of the Holy Spirit.  He was together with the apostles when the Holy Spirit rested and filled them.  Those present reported the apostles declared in their own tongues the mighty works of God, Acts 2:1-12.

Thomas walks off the New Testament stage but historians report he was an obedient worker to take the message of eternal life around the world. A version of the gospel not in the Canon of Scripture is attributed to him, as well. 

As noted in several sites, Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in 52 AD to spread the Christian faith among the Jews, the Jewish diaspora present in Kerala at the time. He is supposed to have landed at the ancient port of Muziris (which became extinct in 1341 AD due to a massive flood which realigned the coasts) near Kodungalloor. 

Basilica burial site of Thomas in Chennai

He traveled to Palayoor (near present-day Guruvayoor), a Hindu priestly community. He left Palayoor in AD 52 for the southern part of what is now Kerala State, where he established the Ezharappallikal, or "Seven and Half Churches". 

These churches are at Kodungallur, Kollam, Niranam (Niranam Jerusalem Marthoma Church), Nilackal (Chayal), Kokkamangalam, Kottakkayal (Paravoor), Palayoor (Chattukulangara) and Thiruvithancode Arappally – the half church.^{[citation needed]}

"It was to a land of dark people he was sent, to clothe them by Baptism in white robes. His grateful dawn dispelled India's painful darkness. It was his mission to espouse India to the One-Begotten. The merchant is blessed for having so great a treasure. Edessathus became the blessed city by possessing the greatest pearl India could yield. Thomas works miracles in India, and at Edessa Thomas is destined to baptize peoples perverse and steeped in darkness, and that in the land of India." – Hymns of St. Ephraem, edited by Lamy (Ephr. Hymni et Sermones, IV).

So, how serious are you and I about obeying the Great Commission?  Are you a Thomas?  You might have a pessimistic, dark, and doubting side.  A personal encounter with Jesus can change everything.  The filling of the Spirit can change everything.  Our obedience and heart to be changed could get us beyond ourselves to be used for His Kingdom in astounding ways.  The Lord may choose to use you in your neighbor, on your job, or somehow across the world.

Forays into self-control

I was embarrassed over my defensive reaction and loss of self-control.  What just happened?  I was stunned by my reaction.  Taking a personal time-out after being disrupted over very little with a co-worker in Christ, I retreated into a nearby restroom.

It appeared like I stormed off.  In solitude, I took a moment to breathe and pray and then... didn't want to return to the group I abandoned moments before.  I became aware the Lord  was walking with me through another journey into personal holiness with His emphasis on self-control.


Preparing for Lucknow and Chennai

Lucknow noted and Chennai on the SE coast

God's university in self-control and holiness will be taken to another level with a Prisoners for Christ team from February 16-March 1 to Lucknow and Chennai, India short-term global encounter missions trip. My financial support is nearly all in and I am making preparations for the trip.

I will be overseeing the finances using Excel for the trip shadowed by President Greg Von Tobel, as part of my servant-leadership team training. 

Greg also asked me to encourage one of our team in his support-raising.  I am taking steps toward increasing my own ongoing monthly support-raising.  Lessons I deliver for my global encounter India co-worker directly apply to my self-control to be active in these things.

Relearning self-control  

When I was a middle school teacher, we often talked about helping students work through failures in impulse control.  These lessons needed reteaching because previous teaching needed improvement or the learners were not mastering the concepts.  The teaching and learning connection lights were not on.

Helped out of a slough of  weak self-control

In my ongoing journey, how am I pursuing holiness on a daily basis?  Is real holiness or even progress in holiness possible? Do I get discouraged by my fores into John Bunyan's "slough of desponds," so I functionally give up?  

Sloughs are hard places of discouragement involving traipsing through mucky stuff often involving folks we care a lot about.   Getting back to the Lord's right path may be just feet and moments away. It feels like I can't get where I am supposed to be without help from others.

The basis for an ongoing foray in victory is our assured position in Jesus Christ.  As believers, we are "in Christ." In Gregory Frizzell's powerful book, "Returning to holiness--a personal and church-wide journey to revival," he writes on this vital understanding. 

We are saved by Christ not just to take us to heaven but to indwell and empower His children in His Kingdom here on earth, in our daily journey.  The same God that spoke John 3:16 also spoke Romans 6--


“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." ~John 3:16 ESV



"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." 
~Romans 6:6 ESV

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."  ~Romans 6:14 ESV

"In fact, these verses can become your personal declaration of independence over the power and dominion of sin.  When Christ died for your sins, He not only removed the penalty of sin but also the power. By the Holy Spirit, this same risen Christ now indwells every saved person.

"The Christian life is not you trying to grit your teeth  and somehow live for Him, it's learning to let Him live through you!  We do this through a moment by moment faith in His indwelling life and power," the author concluded.

Gaining self-control in the Spirit
In my disruption,  I experienced a breakdown in self-control. This was an impulse control struggle and recovery.  Thank Him for recoveries and gracious people.  The Lord gave me peace to go right back to my team and carry-on. Later, I sought forgiveness from the one I sinned against.


Paul preached to Felix and his wife Drusilla, openly living together in an adulterous relationship, in Acts 24:25 "on righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come."  Felix was guilty and didn't want to hear it. Paul also listed self-control as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Peter encourages adding self-control to knowledge in 2 Peter 1:6. 


Self-control is a work of the Holy Spirit.  It is a God-given strength over my flesh and attacks of the adversary.  I don't do what my body tells me to do if it negatively impacts the reputation of our Lord, others around us, and us.  My flesh is not in control, reigning, or a master over us in Christ.  We are not powerless over the flesh because we are in Christ Jesus and His Spirit indwells us. The Greek word for self-control maintains getting a grip on one's self and one's passions. In the Spirit, I protect myself with His power.

In Proverbs, Solomon pictured self-control:
"Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit."    ~Proverbs 25-28

City states were walled for protection from marauders. No wall meant no protection. No self control by analogy means one is wide open to attack from marauders in the flesh, world, and the devil.  People lacking self-control are easy victims when attacked by strong desires and impulses. 

Here are some awesome quotes on self-control to close:

• It is impossible to be a follower of Jesus without giving diligent attention in our lives to the grace of self-control. There is a form of self-control that says 'yes' to what we should do as well as that which says 'no' to what we shouldn't do. ~Jerry Bridges

• The beginning of self-mastery is to be mastered by Christ, to yield to his lordship. True spiritual self-discipline holds believers in bounds but never in bonds; its effect is to enlarge, expand and liberate. ~D. G. Kehl

• The man who disciplines himself stands out and has the mark of greatness upon him. ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones