Through the years I have often tried to help my N.American friends understand what it is like to share the gospel here in Thailand. Thailand has a mostly Buddhist population with less than 1% identifying as Christian. So when explaining the gospel, even the simplest thing that a Christian might say to a Thai Buddhist can easily be misunderstood.
Even something as simple as “God loves you”, has little meaning for Buddhist. There are many gods, so who are we talking about? And in Buddhism, love is an attachment to be avoided. Again we see, folks can only see the truth of the gospel through the work of the Holy Spirit.
But after spending some time back in N.America, I wonder if even Christians actually understand the meaning of “God loves you”. Do I even understand what God's love really means?
The apostle Paul said that his motivation was the love of Christ. For the love of Christ constraineth us; 2 Cor. 5:14 Even before any of us knew anything about God, before we heard the gospel, while we were still sinners, God already loved us. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
If you feel it now or not, if you have experienced it or not, God loves You! And God demonstrated that love to all of us through Jesus. And that is the love we ALL need to know about. That is what the people of Thailand need to hear. God loves you! God is love. 1 John 4:8
Thank you for making it possible for us to continue proclaiming the good news of the gospel here in Thailand. And that good news of the gospel has always been and continues to be, God Loves You!
“For God so loved the WORLD, …”