Mission Month INF Phil Morris

the International Nepal Fellowship, before.

I hope that from the short films you saw earlier,

you've got a little bit more of a sense of what we do

and what we are as an organisation.

But I just want to go back a little bit

and just some of the history that exists

between St. Paul's here in Chatswood and INF.

Now, the vision for INF was given to two medical missionaries

way back in 1936.

They were serving in India,

but they really felt called to serve the people of Nepal.

At that time, Nepal was a closed country.

Foreigners would have been killed on site.

And there were no known Christians in the country of Nepal.

So those missionaries,

they set up a clinic close to the border

between India and Nepal.

And they treated anyone who came over the border,

especially focusing on Nepali people.

And they prayed.

And they taught.

And they discipled.

And they slowly built up a band of Nepali believers.

And they continued to pray.

For 16 years, they served.

Before finally there was a change in the king in Nepal,

and they were granted permission to enter the country.

Now, during those 16 years,

they'd shared their vision with others around the world.

And several people came to serve alongside them,

including an English nurse called Jean Radden.

After many years in Nepal,

Jean retired to Australia and settled here in this church.

Some of you may remember her.

She passed away about,

I think, about six, seven years ago.

We continue to have strong links

between INF and St. Paul's.

They're quite apart from our office being down there.

Our former treasurer still attends here.

The Green family have been fantastic supporters of INF.

And I know that many of you pray for the work of INF

and also support us financially.

And I want to thank you for that.

So there is here in this place

a great heritage of prayer and mission

and many connections with Nepal.

So going back to the history then,

in 1952,

with permission to finally enter the country,

a small group of Nepali Christians

and foreign medical missionaries

walked in to start the first church in Nepal

and the first hospital outside the capital, Kathmandu.

And that has been our model ever since.

Serving with the love of Jesus,

Nepali Christians and foreign medical missionaries

working alongside each other,

supported by a band of supporters and prayers

from right around the world.

There to serve the physical and spiritual needs

of Nepali people,

particularly focused on the poor and marginalized.

The church in Nepal is now recognized

as one of the fastest growing in the world.

There are over a million Christians in Nepal

and you can find churches operating openly

in almost every town across the country.

Isn't that just a miracle

in a country where 20 years ago

you could be imprisoned for your faith?

So our vision,

that is what we want to see happening,

what we understand is the purpose of our organization,

is to see Nepali people in Nepal

but also right around the world

serving alongside people from all nationalities

to bring about fullness of life,

to bring about the kingdom of God

that Jesus talked about.

Personally, I feel like it's a great privilege

to be a part of INF

with the heritage and example that we have

from our early missionaries.

We still work very closely

with the church in Nepal

and the worldwide church

and there are many ways

in which you can be a part of that too

through your prayers,

through giving financially

and maybe even through going out to Nepal to serve.

Just in the last six weeks

since those earthquakes,

I've been really humbled

by the response to what happened in Nepal.

Certainly I was conscious

that people were praying

and giving to supporters

but in the last six weeks

we've just received thousands,

literally,

of phone calls

and donations,

people wanting to be a part

of what is happening there.

And just on Thursday,

I had the privilege

of going to the bank

down here in Chatswood

and transferring a quarter of a million dollars

over to Nepal

to support the work there

that will play a huge part

in the response

that you saw mentioned up on the screen.

So thank you very much

to those of you

who've been a part of that.

The passage that Sam read earlier

is from Paul's second letter

to the church in Corinth.

In Paul's time,

Corinth was a major center

for trade and industry

and Paul was a missionary

traveling,

preaching,

teaching,

discipling and working.

He taught and worked

in Corinth

for over a year

before moving away

and this letter

was written in around 55 AD,

so around 25 years

after Jesus' death

and resurrection.

Now Paul had a difficult relationship

with the church in Corinth.

Paul,

he was different

from the missionaries

that we send out to Nepal.

He spoke and taught

with the authority

of an apostle.

But people in the church

still struggled

to leave behind

their bad habits.

They rejected Paul's teaching

and they questioned

his authority.

So Paul is writing here

just to remind the church

of what they believe

and to prepare them

for hard times ahead.

Paul starts

the chapter 4

of 2 Corinthians

with a therefore.

Therefore,

therefore,

since through God's mercy

we have this ministry,

we do not lose heart.

Paul's referring

to the new covenant

of forgiveness

through Jesus

and the gift

of his spirit

in us.

This is the foundation

that Paul

keeps coming back to.

Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus.

And like Paul,

it's really important

that we store up

in our hearts

what is really important.

What is our motivation?

What do we believe?

Time and again,

we just need to keep

coming back

to the basics

of our faith

so that we don't lose heart,

so that we don't lose courage.

What's your therefore?

Why do you do

what you do?

Paul goes on.

Rather,

we've renounced

secret and shameful ways.

We don't use deception

and nor do we distort

the word of God.

And sadly,

it's common

in many churches

to hear a distorted

version of the gospel.

If you believe,

God will bless you

with health,

wealth and happiness.

If you give

to this church,

God will give back to you.

Unfortunately,

this is not

from the Bible.

In Nepal,

Hindus

offer sacrifices

to their millions

of gods

in order to avert

the God's anger

or get their blessing.

And it's easy

for us to make

the same mistake.

God,

I gave to the church,

therefore you owe me.

Or,

I've been a good person,

therefore,

why won't you heal

my sick child?

In the aftermath

of disasters,

like the earthquake

in Nepal,

it's very easy

to apply our judgments

and our values

and describe them

as a punishment

for sin

or as God's judgment.

Again,

this doesn't come

from the Bible.

Jesus didn't do that.

In Luke's gospel,

Jesus referred to people

who had been crushed

in the collapse

of a building.

And he asked,

do you think

that they were more guilty

than all the others

living in Jerusalem?

I tell you no.

But unless you repent,

you too will perish.

So Jesus didn't

apportion blame

and neither should we.

But Jesus reminds us

that judgment is coming

for everyone

and that we all

need to repent.

Now,

INF doesn't serve

in Nepal

because Nepali people

are greater sinners

than we are.

And the people in Nepal

are not poor

because of their sins.

Again,

the Bible tells us

all have sinned

and fall far short

of the glory of God.

But through faith

in Jesus,

our sins are forgiven

and we can be right

with God.

There is nothing

that we can do

to make him love us more

and there's nothing

that we can do

to make him love us less.

Jesus sought out

the poor and marginalized,

those who are suffering.

He served them

and he told them

about God's love.

Jesus is the model

that we seek to follow

within INF,

serving the physical

and the spiritual needs

of the poor

and declaring his kingdom

both in word and deed.

And when I went out

to Nepal in 2006

with my family,

we traveled

with an older couple

who'd previously served

with INF

but had then returned

to the UK.

And they were,

so they were coming back

to Nepal

after a long absence.

And soon after arriving

in Kathmandu,

they met someone

who they used to know,

who they knew

from the community

where they used to live.

And as soon as they got

into a conversation,

it became clear

that this person

had become a Christian.

And they asked,

well,

how did this happen?

You never came

to our fellowships.

You never asked us

about our faith.

And she said,

we watched you.

We watched you

for a long time.

We could see

that there was

something different

about you,

but we wanted to see

if your life

matched up

to what you said.

Now,

because that couple

didn't distort

the gospel

and they practiced

what they preached,

that woman

and her family

and many people

in that community

have become convinced

of the truth

of Jesus

and serve him.

The same thing

is happening

in your community,

in your workplace,

in your family.

People are watching you,

measuring what you say

and how you treat people.

Now,

of course,

we're not saved

by our actions,

but our actions

should be a window

onto our relationship

with God

and the work

that he's doing

in our lives.

Paul continues

and even if

the gospel

is veiled,

it is veiled

to those

who are perishing.

The God of this age

has blinded

the minds

of unbelievers

so that they cannot

see the light

of the gospel

that displays

the glory of Christ

who is the image

of God.

Now,

what is it

that stops

people believing?

How can anyone

see God's creation

and the work

that he does

in people

all around the world

and not believe?

How can we

see the historical

proof of Jesus'

life and death

and read the Bible

and not be transformed?

Nepal is famous

for its millions

of Hindu gods.

It's the birthplace

of the historical Buddha

and it's also famous

for its temples

and shrines

and the many

animal sacrifices

which are

clear examples

of idolatry.

But it's a huge

mistake

to think

that we

are any better.

Now,

what are our

idols?

Is it money?

Health?

Family?

Hobbies?

Jobs?

It's,

in reality,

it's anything

that we put

before God.

Materialism

is growing

faster in Nepal

even than Christianity.

Mobile phones,

overseas jobs,

are quickly becoming

the idols of choice

for young Nepali people.

And the evidence

of development,

of,

of,

of,

the evidence

of,

of,

of,

of development

in Nepal

can be seen

through rising

levels of literacy,

can be seen

through fewer women

dying in childbirth.

But unfortunately,

this is also

accompanied by

corruption.

It's accompanied

by high levels

of family breakup,

of divorce,

and even

chronic disease.

It's quite clear

that the God

of this age,

the God of development,

is not the answer.

So why is it

that so many people

are coming to faith

in Jesus in Nepal

while here in Australia

so many people

are drifting away

or flatly denying

that there is a God?

The God of this age

has blinded

the minds

of believers

as well as unbelievers.

Our wealth

in Australia

insulates us

from so much

pain and fear

but it's left

us apathetic,

unable to tell

the difference

between creation

and creator.

Technology

is not the answer.

Money is not

the answer.

In Nepal,

even earthquakes,

earthquake-proof buildings

and an end

to hunger

are not the answer.

It must be Jesus.

Now,

Paul doesn't say

you can be like us

and it's essential

that we don't do that

either in our lives

here

or through the work

of INF

in Nepal.

In Nepal,

we promote

the development

of local leaders

in the church

and in INF.

Not that they

will be perfect

but so that

the light

of the knowledge

of God's glory

can be displayed

through them.

I've met

many fantastic

Nepali evangelists.

The joy

that comes

from a right

relationship with God

just flows out of them

and they can't

stop sharing it.

God is doing

amazing things

among Nepali people

and the time

when Nepal

will be sending

missionaries

to the rest

of the world

I think is coming.

There are very few

jobs in Nepal

and every day

hundreds,

literally,

of well-qualified

young Nepali

people

are leaving

the country

and travelling

overseas

in search of

work.

Many of them

are coming

to work

in low-paid

jobs

here in Sydney.

They've probably

served you coffee.

They've probably

looked after

your elderly

relative

in a nursing home

and I know

that some of them

clean the church

here on a weekly

basis.

While INF

is working

to create

jobs

in Nepal,

we're also

looking to

create

opportunities

and hope.

But we are

working with

Nepali churches

as well

and Christian

student union

groups,

helping them

to prepare

believers

who are going

overseas to work

and helping them

to see it as a

God-given opportunity

to be a witness

and to share

their faith.

Now sadly,

many Nepali

people come to

Australia

and they never

experience the

light of the

gospel.

They're blinded

by the God

of this age

and their

hearts become

hard.

Please pray

for Nepali

people here

in Australia

that each of

them would

experience

the light

of the gospel

and that each

one of them

would have

an opportunity

to know

Jesus.

And please

also pray

that God

would reveal

your idols

to you.

What is

blinding you

to the light

of the gospel?

move on

now to

this famous

analogy

that Paul

uses

of our

bodies

being jars

of clay.

But we

have this

treasure

in jars

of clay

to show

that this

all-surpassing

power

is from

God

and not

from us.

Now in

Nepal

and India

it used

to be

common

to buy

tea

from

roadside

shacks

in

little

disposable

clay

cups

cheap

and simple

and locally

made

and also

biodegradable.

But you

had to

drink your

tea

quickly

in case

they dissolved

and deposited

the contents

all over

your lap.

But

unfortunately

they've been

replaced

largely

by plastic

which

doesn't

degrade

but it

also

litters

the roadsides

in many

streets

in Nepal.

Now in

Paul's

context

clay

jar

was a

simple

and a

plain

container

that housed

something

of much

greater

value.

And the

treasure

that he

refers to

is the

knowledge

of the

glory

of God.

But

as sinful

and broken

people

we waste

it and

spoil it

every day.

We don't

work in

Nepal

because we

have all

the answers.

We work

in Nepal

because we

are blessed

with knowing

God.

And we

want to

serve him

and be

a witness

to him.

But even

so we

so often

get it

wrong.

The

Sydney

Missionary

Bible

College

recently

did some

research on

why people

became

missionaries.

The most

common

factor in

people becoming

missionaries

was the

realisation

that actually

missionaries

are ordinary

people.

A quote

from this

research.

This guy

came and he

spoke at our

church and he

was very

ordinary.

he was the

worst orator

on the

planet.

I don't

think I've

met this

guy.

I don't

think he's

referring to

me but he

could be.

He was an

ordinary guy.

He really

encouraged me

because I

didn't think I

could, I had

to attain to a

standard that

was beyond me.

I could relate

to this guy.

I could identify

and I thought

if God can use

that guy, he

can use me.

And I thought

perhaps God

can use me in

this.

how tragic

that what we

have here in

Australia and

the West, which

is just amazing

access to church

and to the

Bible and to

the knowledge of

the glory of

God, is no

longer seen to

have value.

We're focused

on living

longer and

preserving our

lives rather

than our

souls.

We seek

short-term

pleasure over

eternal glory.

And we're

throwing out

the treasure,

trying to

preserve this

rough clay

pot that

contains it.

We are

hard-pressed

on every

side, but

not crushed.

Perplexed, but

not in despair.

Persecuted, but

not abandoned.

Struck down, but

not destroyed.

The very

physical language

that Paul uses

is particularly

apt in the

aftermath of

natural disaster.

And there's

real pain and

fear and

suffering in

Paul's words.

During my

recent visit to

Nepal, I spent

a lot of time

talking with our

people, and I

could sense

their fear and

their uncertainty.

They were

hard-pressed.

They were

perplexed.

They were

struck down.

Jesus promised

that there would

be hard times

ahead, and

most of his

disciples paid

with their

lives.

Now, our

workers going

over to

Nepal have

made huge

sacrifices.

Most of

them are

highly qualified

people who

have given

up good jobs,

family, and

all that's

familiar to

live in

Nepal.

To begin

with, they

can't speak

the language.

They have

no control

over their

surroundings.

They become

as dependent

on others as

my three-year-old

son.

And this can

be a deeply

unsettling

experience.

And these

verses of

Paul's would

ring true to

most of

them.

But with

the deep

foundation of

Jesus as

their rock,

they can

say, we

are not

crushed.

We are not

in despair.

We are not

abandoned.

We are not

destroyed.

God is at

work through

the hard

times.

The Bible

uses the

analogy of

gold being

refined through

fire.

And most

of us have

had times

when all

we thought

we could rely

on was

stripped away,

when money

or education

or houses

couldn't help.

And that is

so often when

we turn to

God.

A lady

called

Julian of

Norwich

lived in

England in

the 14th

century,

and her

writings often

reflect on

pain and

suffering.

She wrote,

we need to

fall and

we need to

be aware

of it.

For if we

did not

fall, we

should not

know how

weak and

wretched we

are of

ourselves,

and nor

should we

know our

maker's

marvellous

love so

fully.

This is

what is

unique about

the Christian

faith,

and this

is what is

unique about

Jesus.

This world

is broken,

but God

is coming

back, and

he will

restore it.

Our bodies

are crumbling,

but God

promises us

new bodies.

Our faith

is weak,

but we

know that

someday we

will stand

before him.

We are

sinful, but

God calls

each of us

to be a

part of

his perfect

work in

this world.

The kingdom

of God is

near,

and Jesus

came to

reconcile us

to himself

and to

each other

and to

bring us

life in

all its

fullness.

Like

Paul,

we need

a

therefore.

We need

a solid

foundation,

a deep

trust in

God's

goodness and

faithfulness,

and a

certain

knowledge that

we are

right with

God.

With that

solid

foundation,

we can

keep

hardship in

perspective

through

uncertain

times.

We can

use the

gifts and

opportunities

that God

has given

us to

serve him,

whether that's

here in

Chatswood or

in Kathmandu.

We can

share God's

love with

those around

us.

We can

pray God's

kingdom come,

his will be

done.

We can use

the resources,

whether that's

time or

money,

for his

glory.

And through

our day-to-day

relationships and

interactions,

we can

seek to

serve God

and glorify

him.

I'll

close now

with the

final verses

of this

chapter,

reading them

again,

which Paul

prefaces with

another

therefore.

Therefore,

we do not

lose heart,

though outwardly

we are wasting

away,

yet inwardly

we are being

renewed day

by day.

For our

light and

momentary troubles

are achieving

for us an

eternal glory

that far

outweighs

them all.

So we fix

our eyes

not on what

is seen,

but on what

is unseen.

For what is

seen is

temporary,

and what is

unseen is

eternal.

Praise be to

God.

Amen.