The revivalist
Charles Finney, when commenting on the
Matthew 11:12 passage, accurately captured the desperate circumstance through which God had moved mightily in history. He said,
“Revival comes from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict determined to win or die—or if need be, to win and die!”
Such words prove true whenever believers choose an uncomfortable and inconvenient obedience over the easy life. War, struggle, and various forms of persecution are unwanted external pressures, but in Christ, they have the potential to push the believer to greater faith.
“Hangry” is an expression sometimes used by Westerners to describe the uncomfortable, annoyed, or even angry state of an individual who hasn’t eaten in some hours.
COVER Photo: Former Witchdoctor being baptized.
But the fact is that most of us in the West don’t even know what true hunger is. To go days without eating due to an unreliable food source or to be faced daily with violence and the threat of human trafficking is beyond the experience of most of us.
Yet, this is the state of many today in war-torn Myanmar where not only starving bodies, but starving souls, are desperate for a life-saving intervention.
It's during this life-and-death struggle that multitudes of idol worshippers are turning to the Lord in vast numbers—turning the tables on demonic darkness that has held so many spiritually bound for so long. It is truly the unfolding of Matthew 4:16 which says:
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
And while the stakes continue to remain high as the warfront and bloodshed spread, an undercurrent of Christian revival is sweeping across these bruised and battered lands. In this issue, we invite you to learn of an experience our Asia Harvest team had on a recent visit to Myanmar.
Here is their story in their own words...
A View From Inside
Above: A new house church comprised of all new believers.
Below: One of the evangelists Asia Harvest supports preaching in a new unreached village.
Shine and the Witchdoctor
Shine
(not his real name)
was one young man we met who was swept up in this revival just a few years ago. His story is one that demonstrates the bold faith that is emerging throughout Myanmar today among many Burmese.
Raised a devout idol worshipper, his commitments to witchcraft were influenced by his parents from a very young age. But everything changed the moment he found Christ. At just 17 years of age and a newborn in the faith, Shine’s burden for those bound by darkness caused him to conquer his fears, and he unreservedly gave his life to serve God and to do whatever Jesus asked him to do.
His journey has led him down some extremely dangerous paths, where very few believers dare to go.
On one occasion, Shine was inspired by a dream to take the gospel to a famous witchdoctor in the area (who had a reputation for cursing people to death), it was no surprise that other believers were unwilling to go with him when he shared this burden with them.
But with little care for his own well-being and focused on the eternal well-being of this witchdoctor and his family, Shine daringly approached the “unapproachable.”
Below: Shine preaches to the witchdoctor he later baptized!
Now, if at this point in the story you are expecting the witchdoctor to open his door in friendship and immediately surrender his heart to the Lord, we’re sorry to disappoint you. Just the opposite happened. The door was instead angerly slammed in Shine’s face.
Undaunted by the rejection and not fearing what this dangerous man might do should he try again, Shine came back later with gifts for the witchdoctor’s family. This time he was granted entrance to their home and the opportunity to share Christ with all of them.
After demonstrating the love of Christ in selfless and practical ways over a few visits, the witchdoctor’s entire family was converted, including the man himself!
We would expect to find daring stories like this in historical missions books that tell the tales of great believers of old. But this is a new story, and it didn’t involve a well-known minister.
It instead happened recently through the bold obedience of a simple Burmese teenager—and it is not an isolated incident. Shine continued to boldly proclaim Christ to many more people, and he even led two more witchdoctors to the Lord in the months that followed.
Shine shared his account with us first-hand while we were among other young ministers who validated his story. It was also during that interview that he shared with us how the week prior, he had prayed for a poor woman who had been pronounced clinically dead for 30 minutes, and the power of Christ raised her to life again!
The other evangelists in the room had not heard this before, and the Burmese believers rejoiced together when they heard the news but didn’t seem overly surprised, as this miracle was consistent with how God had been moving in their midst.
Shine is just one of dozens of evangelists in Myanmar that Asia Harvest is helping support through the AWF (Asian Workers’ Fund).
If you would like to contribute to the spiritual war effort in Myanmar and many other dark parts of Asia, you can join us by helping send out evangelists like Shine who willingly lay their lives on the line for the Gospel.
Idol Temples and Drug Factories Closing
Above: An Evangelist preachers to idol builders in Myanmar
True revival effects change. This is the reality for any genuine move of God that has occurred throughout history. A supernatural outpouring of the Spirit always leads to societal change in some degree.
Just a few short years ago, Myanmar was doing better economically in relation to its current state, while idol temples shadowed every street, overflowing with devotees.
Then suddenly the government changed hands after a military coup, and all international trade ceased. Jobs were lost, and areas became dangerous. Then again quite unexpectedly, COVID mandates eliminated the few jobs that were left, civil wars worsened, and the entire country became desperate.
Black markets replaced honest trade, and the rule of thugs replaced the rule of law. Illegal drug factories popped up overnight and provided the only jobs available in some areas.
As the drugs flooded the markets, traffickers targeted every class throughout society, luring in many addicted customers across all income levels. Starving children were recruited to walk the streets, selling opiate drugs from open baskets they balanced on their heads.
And yet in the midst of this hopelessness, God was stirring His Church.
Not only have scores of idol temples closed for good due to lack of attendance while new churches spread like wildfire, but one of the ministry training centers we support has reported that the largest drug factory in their area is now closed!
And what became of the workers and distributors for this factory?
Above: Visiting a home with praying believers
Many of them became believers, joined the church, and are being trained to go forth and spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
As a result of accounts like these, we trust that you will be encouraged by the fact that, even in the darkest hour, we have reason to hope in Christ who can do the impossible, bringing lasting societal change through His Church.
We also trust that you will know better how to pray for these dear believers who still face many dangerous days ahead, and that you will consider helping to support their efforts.
Pray that the Lord will keep them strong!
Above: A church meeting in one of the centers supported by Asia Harvest
Asia Harvest currently supports over 80 ministry training centers (in Myanmar and other countries) that send out hundreds of evangelists to unreached people groups.
Each center on average supports ten house churches that together report thousands of conversions every year. In the past year alone, more than 6,000 Burmese have experienced new life in Jesus Christ through the centers in just one of the ministries we support in Myanmar.
Please join us in getting the Gospel to these people while their hearts are open and hungry for the truth!
