Affectionately nicknamed the ‘land of smiles’, with its spectacular scenery and mouth-watering cuisine, Thailand is visited by 14 million tourists each year (a figure that’s doubled in a decade).

However, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a nation with a number of deep-rooted problems. A lack of confidence in the government has resulted in violent protests in the capital Bangkok and beyond, The sex industry is big business and tens of thousands of women and children work as prostitutes, with many taken and trafficked. More than half-a-million people have HIV or Aids in Thailand and the country also appears on the ‘high burden’ list for tuberculosis. One in ten people live in poverty,

This is the context in which BMS World Mission is working in Thailand, in partnership with local Christians.

In Bangkok, Emily Chalke supports the ministry of NightLight, as it reaches out practically and spiritually to those caught up in the city’s thriving sex industry.  She and others befriend women, many of whom only work as prostitutes out of desperation for money. NightLight’s jewellery-making business offers a viable alterative for dozens of women, whilst church services and prayer times point to their one true hope: Jesus.

Also in northern Thailand is Judy Cook, a BMS nurse. Part of Judy’s time is spent supporting the Church of Christ in Thailand Aids Ministry (CAM) as it helps families living with the effects of HIV and Aids, CAM works closely with church and community leaders to encourage more positive attitudes towards these families. Judy is also the director of Hope Home, a residential and respite home for disabled children, which receives physiotherapy support from Lizz Maycock. There remains great stigma attached to disability in Thailand.  Last year, a girl called Lapat Joy arrived at the home. She was malnourished and underdeveloped through her physical disabilities but, thanks to the staff’s love and nurture,  she got back on the road to recovery and is set to reach her fullest potential.

What does that say to our churches in a world where power, prestige and status are the measures of success?

John Walker

A pastor was building a fence while the neighbour’s 12-year-old son watched. The pastor smiled and said, ‘Are you interested in carpentry?’ ‘No,’ the boy replied. ‘I just want to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer!’ You are the only Bible some people will ever read, and they’re watching to see how your life lines up with what you profess. Some are hoping for confirmation of the life-changing power of Jesus; others for a chance to say, ‘See, Christians are all hypocrites!’ We want to set a good example, but sometimes we fall short. And as humbling as it is to mess up, God uses those failures to ‘…[make] it clear that our… power is from [Him], not… ourselves’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT). God doesn’t glaze over the shortcomings of even the most notable saints. They’re ‘…all… written down so… we don’t repeat their mistakes…’ (1 Corinthians 10:11 TM). Abraham, the ‘friend of God’, lied about Sarah being his wife (Genesis 12:10-20). Moses, the mighty leader, got angry and disobeyed God. David, a man after God’s heart, committed adultery and then tried to cover his tracks with murder (2 Samuel 11:15). Peter, head of the church, denied Jesus not once but three times (Luke 22:54-62), and John Mark gave up and went home during a missionary trip (Acts 15:38). They’re all in there, warts and all, and Paul says, ‘…we are just as capable of messing… up as they were…’ (1 Corinthians 10:12 TM). So don’t get discouraged when you stumble. Admit your mistake, apologise to the people involved, ask God for forgiveness, forgive yourself, learn from what happened, and move on.

The above has been taken from The Word for Today (UCB has given permission for this article to be reproduced).  Free issues of this daily devotional are available from UCB (United Christian Broadcasters), PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY, England.  Tel: 0845 6040401.

It seems that for sheer worldwide impact, there is nothing to compare to that eureka moment of Sir Tim Berners-Lee back in 1989.   His invention has transformed daily life for billions of people the world over.

What of the next 100 years?   Predictions for world-changing events include:  a woman president in the USA, sea levels rising across the globe, men on Mars, the fall of the British monarchy, and  World War Three.   Seems we won’t be bored, whatever else.  Genes Reunited, the family tree researchers, carried out the study.

Recent incidents of brutal anti-Christian violence and persecution suggest that vulnerable believers are facing a menacing upsurge in such attacks across the world.

For example, in Afghanistan the Muslim Taliban have beheaded an Afghan Christian, Abdul Latif, in Herat Province. A video of the murder sent to Barnabas Fund shows the Taliban shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“god is great”) over and over again during the beheading.   The life of Christians is cheap in areas of the country controlled by the Taliban. But Christian converts are also in danger from the Afghan government as it tries to prove its commitment to Islam. Last year many were arrested, and some remain in prison facing possible execution for apostasy.

In Nigeria, in the latest of several recent incidents, a group of attackers stormed three mainly Christian farming villages in the Bogoro area of Bauchi State, in the predominantly Muslim North of the country. At least two people were killed and a number of houses were set on fire.  The episode was reminiscent of an eruption of anti-Christian violence in Bauchi two years ago, when nine Christians died at the hands of Muslim militants and churches and homes were destroyed. Then as now, the authorities failed to ensure the safety of Christians in the state.

In Egypt, a Christian mother-of-two, Heba Adel, disappeared on 6 April after walking her young son to school in the El Maadi suburb of Cairo. When her mother called her at 9 am, she said she was returning home. She never arrived.  Heba’s husband, Fadi, believes that his wife has been kidnapped. Many Christian women and girls in Egypt are abducted, raped and forcibly converted to Islam. But as in this case, the security forces are often slow to respond, and the attackers are rarely brought to justice. Relations between Muslims and Christians have worsened rapidly since the fall of former President Mubarak.

In China, at least 160 Christians were arrested when they attempted to hold a worship service in the open air. Most of the believers from Shouwang Church, Beijing, which had already lost its indoor meeting-place owing to government pressure, were later released, but the pastor and his wife remain in custody.

These latest incidents, which are only a few examples of many, also occur against a background of growing international instability that further threatens the security of Christian minorities. As Islamist groups manoeuvre for position in Egypt, civil war rages in Libya, and unrest breaks out in many other parts of the Muslim world, Christians are often left without protection against attacks by the hostile majority. In Egypt some Christians have even been killed by the army that should have been defending them.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, says:  At this time of turmoil in many parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are even more vulnerable to hatred and violence. Often the authorities cannot and will not protect them, and sometimes they even join in the anti-Christian attacks.”   As this month the Church celebrates its birthday of Pentecost, please pray for these suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.

Katrina Butterworth is a BMS medical worker in Nepal, with a Masters degree in education. This makes her perfect for her role of developing a medical education curriculum for Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), a medical school based at Patan Hospital in Nepal.  PAHS doesn’t just focus on the technical aspects of medical work, but aims to give students a heart for Nepal’s poor. It links future doctors with local and international charities and exposes them to the needs of remote rural communities and marginalised groups like Nepal’s elderly poor.  While many of Nepal’s recently trained doctors immediately emigrate to Australia, Europe or the United States, many of the students at PAHS have scholarships that guarantee that they will use their qualifications in Nepal, often within its remote rural communities.  The community-orientated programme at PAHS, with its Christian input and focus on GPs (who are the ‘captains’ of rural healthcare in Nepal, according to Katrina) is already having an impact on the health of remote rural communities.

All Facebook, the unofficial Facebook resource, has recently announced that the all-time best-selling book in the world has overtaken Justin Bieber in the ranking table. With over six and a half million fans, the Bible Facebook page not only beats Bieber – who regularly reads the Bible himself -  but Manchester United and Real Madrid FC who are two of the world’s biggest clubs.

The Bible page is part of the worldwide work offered by Bible Society and United Bible Societies which works in over 200 countries and territories around the world.   Ben Whitnall, Digital Advocacy Officer at Bible Society says: ‘People would not necessarily put the Bible and Facebook in the same sentence.  But a recent week’s rankings list, which places the Bible in the number one spot, shows that Christians are engaging with social networks and using them as a means of communicating about the Bible. It’s really encouraging to see that the two can co-exist.’

I think yeast is amazing stuff! A kind of fungus, added to dough, it transforms it. When a little yeast is added during the baking of bread, a mysterious but powerful process occurs, causing the dough to rise and producing the most wonderful aroma and taste. The result is that what would otherwise be just an uninteresting dry cracker becomes an entire loaf of bread.

Jesus, like his hearers, knew all about the transforming power of yeast. He told a parable; “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough”.

It is clear that Jesus has in mind the impact of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives. The presence of yeast in flour is alien to its natural constitution. It is radically different from the flour itself. This presents a picture of what it is like when we receive Christ. The promised, pure Spirit of God comes from outside us to dwell within us. We receive a new nature from above, graciously given to us, because we don’t have it by birth. If life is to be changed from selfishness and sinfulness, the Spirit must come into us. We are helpless to change ourselves without him, just as flour is unable to transform its state without yeast. Deep inside every person is the need for God to come and dwell there by his Spirit and change us.

The purpose of yeast is not to destroy the flour. Instead, it comes to enhance it. It communicates its own nature, which has a definite and positive effect on the flour. It communicates, it combines and it changes.

So it is with the Holy Spirit. He comes and communicates his nature to us. The grace of the Spirit brings love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness and so on – this is communicated to us. God takes what we are, and through his Holy Spirit working in us, produces the fruit and gifts of his Spirit.

Yeast has certain properties that highlight yet more characteristics of the Holy Spirit. These properties come into play as the process of the yeast working through the flour begins to happen.

It spreads. To the degree that yeast is applied, it does its work from beginning to end. So the Holy Spirit works in us to bring us to completion.

It is secret. You can’t always see what is happening when the yeast goes to work. Its effect is seen in the end product. So it is with the Spirit. So open yourself to him and don’t worry about what you see or don’t see. As John Newton put it to his friend William Kelper; “I am not what I want to be. I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I hope to be, but thank God I am not what I used to be”.  The yeast of the Holy Spirit kneaded into the dough of our lives, with our cooperation, is working quietly and steadily in its transforming power.

It is also savoury. There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of yeast in flour, especially when bread is fresh out of the oven. The Holy Spirit at work in us produces a wonderful fragrant aroma – “the aroma of Christ” as the apostle Paul puts it.

Yeast does its work when it is mixed with the dough. The Holy Spirit does his work when he becomes part of our lives. The question, then, that I leave you with is this: “how open are you to the Holy Spirit of God? ” Each of us needs to come to the place where we can say “Welcome Holy Spirit”, and we are prepared to allow him to work in us.

Your pastor and friend,

Kevan