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.
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,
the evidence
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.