Of Caves, Monks and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

 We did a lot of driving around Trang Province.  Primarily this was for us to see the area..and the people to whom we hope to share the Light of Christ.  As in the last post, we did stumble upon a few places to enjoy the beauty of creation.  In this post, you will see pictures from inside a cave we happened upon, completely by "accident."  I put accident in quotes because I'm a firm believer in the Lord's sovereignty and I believe NOTHING happens by accident.  This cave was beautiful.  The pictures really don't do it justice.  It was tall enough to walk through, mostly.  There were a few spots where we had to stoop over but all in all, it had open rooms and were comfortable for walking.  As you'll quickly notice in the pictures, this cave also is a place of worship for Buddhists.  Every so many feet were idols of Buddha, with incense burning and places for the monk to kneel in prayer, making merit.  There was a bit of a temple like structure outside the cave.  There was one monk living there and tending to the cave...and I did see one Buddhist nun sitting in her little house.  The monk told us he had been tending the cave for 5 years and that he had been in the monkhood 15 years.  The cave was only found about 20 years ago.  You might also notice the light bulbs in the cave strung every so many feet to give light.

 Pictured above is a tree growing in the cave and Wilson filming.

 Here's a picture of the monk who showed us through the cave.  I know this picture looks like he's in jail, but I assure you, it was a doorway and he walking through.  I guess they had the bars on it to protect the cave from intruders or maybe even animals.

 Even though we were on Buddhist grounds, I found it interesting that this spirit house was also on the property.  Spirit worship actually comes from a pre-Buddhist era when Hinduism was the primary religion of Thailand.  The Thais have simply incorporated it all into their belief system.  So, this spirit house is there to appease the spirits of the property so that they'll protect and guard those who live on the property against evil spirits.

And, here's the last large room we visited at the cave.  It opened up into a huge open room...and the monk told us that the cave went on back but, of course, it was pitch black and told us we couldn't go back there. (Not that we wanted to!)
 As we walked through the cave, the monk mentioned how a family from France or a woman from Australia would come and pray (make merit).  As we were finishing up, he stopped at a place and asked us if we wanted to make merit.  I was at the back of the group so didn't hear his question but I did hear NaamFon answer him in Thai saying that we're Christians and can't do that.  He responded by saying Jesus and Buddha were the same...essentially, we're all good people and all paths lead to the same place.  NaamFon took his statement and corrected him by the Word of God and shared that we believe Christ died for our sins and we no longer have to make merit because Christ did it for us.  She was very clear, using Scripture and speaking to his Buddhism but with much respect and a heart of love.  I loved seeing NaamFon sharing the Gospel.  And the monk, still so gracious with us, led us the rest of the way out.  We prayed for that man, and I have continued to pray for him...for his salvation, for he is a man who has devoted his life to the teachings of Buddha.  He obviously is a seeker of truth, and I pray that the Lord would open his eyes to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that He is mighty to save, even in a remote village in Thailand!  I am praying that the words of Scripture and our assurance in Christ alone will speak to him.
As we left, I wondered how many Christians would have stooped and prayed, thinking it was okay to do that?   Would you have kneeled in prayer to an idol while thinking in your heart of your god?  I think it's good to ponder these questions.   Jesus Christ says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Our culture tells us on every front that what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me and that it's all okay.  But this kind of thinking is full of errors.  If we carry that out logically what will result?  What if I think what is true for me is to pull a gun and shoot the person standing next to me?  Is that okay?  Where are the absolutes?  Many claim that there are no absolutes.  But by making that statement, they are still making an absolute statement.  So, I ask you again, you who read this blog regularly, you who may have stumbled upon me here...would you have bowed your head to an idol?  Would you have thought, "there's nothing wrong here as long as I am thinking of my God"?  Christ demands our FULL devotion.  This is why He asks us to count the cost before we bow in worship to Him. In Luke 9:23-26 Christ says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."