Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
“The other faith hath all devils and wicked Christian people, that be his members: but this pure Christian faith have none, but those that truly belong to Christ, and be the very members of his body, and endeavor themselves to persevere in his precepts and laws; although many pretend to have the said pure faith, which nevertheless have it not, but only in their mouths. For as there is a love in the mouth, and a love in the heart, even so there is a faith in mouth and a faith in heart. Examine every man, if he trust in God and love God above all things; and in words he will answer, yea: but examine every man’s acts and deeds, and surely in a great number their acts and deeds condemn their words.”
Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) in “Corrections of the Institution by Henry VIII” in Miscellaneous Writings and Letters of Thomas Cranmer (Cambridge: University Press, 1846) 85.
We have arrived safely to Dhaka, Bangladesh. When the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of Bangladesh greeted me, she said, “Welcome to one of the dirtiest cities on the globe…but we are hospitable.”
That’s an apt description. I shot the header photo on arrival to my hotel. My eyes burn. The pollution index is off the charts. This may also explain why it seemed that every person on the plane had a bad cough. Lord have mercy.
Anyway, despite the dirtiness, in collaboration with the president of the Evangelical Alliance of Bangladesh, top Christian workers from across the 8 divisions of the country (think: states in USA) have arrived for the meetings.
And our team of three also all arrived safely. I came with Rebecca Patra of New Delhi, India. She volunteers as GTP Regional Facilitator for South Asia and NobleRank Growth Strategist (NobleRank is the peer accountability group serving India, like ECFA in USA). Prakash Chandra Giri of Pokhara, Nepal, met up with us at the airport. He works as GTP Curriculum Developer and of course, I serve as GTP President and CEO and come from Denver, Colorado, USA.
Now to today’s post. In days when people were not following standards or precepts that honored God, Cranmer wrote these words calling people to examine themselves and make sure their faith was not “only in their mouths.”
The same is true this week in Bangladesh. It’s an historic moment for this country. But what Dhaka? Why now? I met Martha when I spoke at the Future of the Gospel Forum on in Istanbul in October 2023.
With zeal, she insisted that GTP come. She said she could convene the influencers of the nation to shape a new future for ministry in a place where Christianity. She has done it. Pray for us. And pray for our safety.
With GTP we do really do go to the hardest places. The USA government has posted a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” or “Level 4: Do Not Travel” to most of places I have been in the last six months or where I am headed, including: Bangladesh, Colombia, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine.
So why come here? When we teach people to “persevere in His precepts” or, as we say at GTP, “follow standards as faithful stewards,” we write a new future for our people. Like the one Cranmer wanted so badly for England.
Pray with me for that this week. For God to form a working group to advance accountability and for our Station of Generosity training to spread widely and unleash local giving to God’s work. Pray for Spirit-filled preaching too. I preach twice in addition to the GTP events, tomorrow and Sunday.
And wherever you are, and examine yourself to make sure your faith is not only in your mouth, lest your acts and deeds condemn your words. People in places like this need our help. We must never forget how Christ came to us in our broken and sinful state. If you love God above all things, show it today!