Message from Rev. B. Chinkhengoupau
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Romans 4: 21,22; Matthew 6: 33, Matthew 6: 25-33, Hebrews 4: 12, Psalms 1: 1-3, Acts 17: 11, Matthew 4: 4, Matthew 28: 18-20, Matthew 5: 14, Matthew 5: 16, Philippians 3: 20.
One of the most prevalent issues in our society is the concern we have about our own tribe i.e. Paite; which is often of no effect. It would be most substantial if we could ponder that we are in fact a very young tribe of believers. We are a tribe that did not get to count the 100th or 500th generation of Christianity. Most of us in this present generation would hardly exceed the 3rd generation of being believers.
We are a tribe whose history could merely be traced back as: "the people who rebelled" against the task of constructing the Great Wall of China, then eventually fled to Burma and thus to Mizoram and parts of Manipur. We are indeed a very ignorant tribe with no concrete literature nor do we have any, in this present time. We are so ignorant that we do not have any written record and most of our legends, folktales, history and the like, and most of it were passed on orally. We have limited traditional sources to mark our identity, such as customs, garments, equipment, etc.
The question to ponder is, "How did we change" from this lowly life to a civilized life? How did this happen? In tune with this, let us take as an example from the story of Abraham. Why did God choose Abraham? God did not choose him based on his physical appearance, nor any perfection from his part. He was a minor tribe; a nomad, yet he was chosen to be the father of the nation. Moreover, his wife was barren and he was already 100 years old. The purpose that God chose him was already disqualifying on his part. However, Abraham believed God and this was accounted for him as righteousness.
Romans 4:22-21
Likewise, we, the Paites were chosen through the Welsh Revival that took place in the far West. The Welsh Missionaries first reached the Mizo village called Senvon, then to Vervek, where two Paite youths accepted Christ as their saviour.
Our ancestors believed in the gospel and thus followed it with obedience. They believed a God that they had never known before. It was a known fact that they used to enter their names as new converts but, this was eventually followed by a change in their lifestyle and their God itself.
The first thing that struck their mind the moment they believed was the people who had not known about this good news. They heard the Gospel, believed and then followed its commandments.
There was an account that states that the tribal villages who had been against the Gospel perished or are in its doom in this present time although evidence is minimal.
Regardless of their limited knowledge, they shared their faith to others, and this was passed onto us. We are indeed the fruits of their faith and sacrifice. We are the reapers of the Lord's favour because of our ancestor's faith. The present status of our tribe is our inheritance from the blessings our ancestors received from God because of their good work of witnessing. We would never have these accounts or would not have been in a state to even have patriotic feelings if it had not been for this Gospel that God had given to us through our ancestors. It is unimaginable how ignorant and lowly we would have been if not for the Gospel.
It is God's eternal purpose fulfilled in our time and we are merely its benefactors. Our ancestors have rightly followed this verse:
Matt 6:33
They have sought the Lord's Kingdom and thus all the other things that have been given to them have been made use of, by us. Yet we forget this God and go astray from Him. Sometimes we even resent upon the unfavourable behaviour of the Israelites, but, we are no different from them. Do we believe what we hear? Do we follow what we believe?
Let us draw an example from the Underground Churches of China. They are allowed to exist as denominations but there is a certain Government official that looks after the churches’ activities against influencing the people to change their beliefs. Therefore, they rather exist as underground churches so that they can have fellowships and give their best in bringing others to Christ. Moreover, as they could get imprisoned if they ever get caught in that act, they memorized the verses of the Bible as much as they could, so that they could make use of it wherever they are. In this way, they are preserving the word of the Lord as a smoked eatable that would last. Such is their commitment for the Lord which is the result of their awareness of the Lord’s calling.
We, the youth, share the same calling as them and we have been chosen to fulfil God’s eternal purpose of making disciples, to our tribe, who have long perished, like the Israelites. Paul have also been chosen to preach among the Gentiles. We, can be the new Gospel, to our tribe.
We have been carried away by our desires of worldly wealth which is not a blessing from God, but what we have obtained through filthy modes.
One such disheartening fact is, the rift between brotherly tribes, the so-called, Thadou-Kuki War. Both tribes might have thought they were seeking God, to protect each of their troops but rather, it was a wrong concept, as they are praying to the same God. We have strayed from our God, and this infamous war is rather a Chastisement from God because of our unlawful behaviours, and although it might have ended, this Chastisement is still going on, and will go on, until we learn to accept each other as, both, children of God, who ought to love one another, in spiritual brotherly love, as the physical brotherhood is a known fact, that needs no explanation. We have gone astray from God because of money and faulty Patriotism with no essence of Godliness.
The fact of the matter is that, we are chosen to establish a Spiritual Kingdom and not a political kingdom. ‘Preaching the Gospel’ ought to be prioritized by both the tribes, and only then, can we fully recover from our scars and eventually fulfil God’s calling. We are under a Sovereign God who can merely evade us, and without Him, we are nothing.
Our God is therefore, urging us to seek Him first, and eventually make disciples in His name. We need not be bothered about our well-being, He had promised us that He would provide the needful, as long as we seek His Kingdom. We are indeed, of more value than the sparrows and lilies.
Matthew 6: 25-33
None of us is exempted from this commandment of making disciples. It applies, regardless of our identity or profession. Once a person is fully transformed in Christ, he / she will see others as God sees them and develop a concern for their spiritual status. This is the Commandment that Christ had given us. As much as we pay heed to farewell speeches, we ought to pay heed to the last farewell /commandment that Christ had left us- Preaching the Gospel to all and making disciples in His name. Identifying flaws would not serve a solution. Rather, returning to the Living Word would do marvellous works.
Hebrews 4: 12
The only guaranteed way to accomplish this is by meditating in The Word and eventually gain strength from the Holy Spirit. As been rightly said in-
Psalms 1: 1-3
Let us drop the ‘I’ and turn to ‘God’. Let us learn to meditate the Word and examine it just as the Berean Church did.
Acts 17: 11
Let us learn to bring all our doubts to God and learn from the Bible. The Bible is least benefitted especially by us, because we do not delve into the message behind each word. We should learn to make use of the Pearl within the Oyster shell.
“The value of the Bible is not in knowing, but in obeying” - D.L. Moody
“Visit many books, but live in the Bible” - Spurgeon
The Bible is our Spiritual sustenance. Being humans, we need food, as our physical sustenance, but, being believers, the need remains the same for spiritual food. Satan, who did not know the truth, ambitiously set forth to tempt Jesus, when He fasted for 40 days, because He did not see Him in the spirit but in the flesh. However, Jesus answered, by saying that humans do not live by food alone, but by every word that comes from the Lord. This shows how much we need God in pour daily life, and without Him, we are nothing. Our spirit, that God had given, is in need of the Word, as we need food for our physical bodies.
Matthew 4:4
Therefore, never leave a passage from the Bible until it has spoken to you. This can be achieved through examination and discernment from the Holy Spirit, seek, and ask the Lord, and will be given. A believer that had fully made use of God’s word would not be able to contain or keep it to himself/ herself and this will eventually help to accomplish the task of being a witness and making disciples in His name.
Matthew 28:18-20
The above verse applies to the Paite Christian youths. We are indebted to fulfil this Commandment. We can make a Commitment and fulfil it ‘while we also live and do our duties side by side’. The more intense our commitment is, financial assistance or prayer would mean too less to us. We won’t be able to satisfy ourselves from these acts because the Love of God will compel us. And this applies, regardless of who and where or what, we are.
This broken relationship between God and you, which God had restored, through the irrevocable redemption through Christ, by Grace through faith, the same, God wants to accomplish, in others/ unbelievers/ church members, through you. This was the same Commitment that our ancestors had, which brought us, generations, to this state. If us, the youth of this day, could restore what have been in the past, all others things such as political stability would eventually follow.
An inspiring practice among the believers of South-East Asia, was that, during International Conferences, they would address each other as brethren and would choose to meet every new believer each day and sessions so that they could develop a sense of spiritual brotherhood. This is called networking, and is a favourable act that we could learn to practice even in our churches and fellowships, so that we grow in spiritual brotherly love. We are indeed the light of the world from which others could see and believe God our Father in Heave.
Matthew 5:14; Matthew 5:16
Tradition had it that Institutionalisation was the best mode of making disciples. However, in this time, the most effective, in making a ‘true disciple’ in the Lord, would be to focus on few lost souls, whom one can intensely delve into and preach the Gospel based on their personalities, values, or age, and thus become a spiritual guide for them. The believer must also be conscious of his own personality and status, and this must be made use of in the best way, rather than boasting about oneself in the process of leading them to God. The target population or person must be able to see ‘Jesus Christ’ in the guide. One’s weakness or incapability is not an excuse for God. Ask God to guide you to a certain lost soul whom you can lead to God. While one becomes a spiritual guide for someone, one must also have a certain spiritual confidant who can help and guide in times of need. In this way, a spiritual network would be created among believers. The following Bible verse is indeed of great encouragement.
Matthew 28: 18
We serve a God who has all the authority in heaven and earth, and therefore, there is nothing to fear. We are children of the Most High God. As long as we set forth to stand for His name, it is guaranteed that He will help us and provide for us. It had been rightly said-
“You don’t have to defend a lion” – Spurgeon
Let a Lion go, it will work and fulfil its purpose. The same applies to us, truly born-again, Christian Youth, who have been anointed in the Holy Spirit. Victory and success is assured as long as we trust in Him. We must encourage who are spiritually younger than us, and it could also turn out that they become more effective than us, which shows that none can boast and become authoritative towards another believer. Each believer must constantly examine oneself while guiding the weaker ones, as God is the Sovereign and we are the same in his eyes. As long as we do this work, Jesus will be with us till the end of the world. Moreover, we may be in this world but our citizenship is in heaven with the Lord. There is nothing to long for in this world as all will perish.
Philippians 3: 20
Therefore, believers, especially, the youth of this time, should seek the Lord to make use of our precious lives so that, like our ancestors, we could become a true Christian tribe, not just in words, but through our lives, and eventually develop a desirable form of patriotism against mere violence, anguish, corruption, but Godliness in everything. Let us commit ourselves to accomplish the Great Commission that Jesus had left us with by trusting in Him and meditating in His word, serving one another in spiritual brotherly love and asking God to use us for His glory alone.
