Worship In Red Light District
So last night we decided to go hard and play worship in the heart of the red light district here in Chiang Mai. Last time we did this in Phuket it was in a bar and there was a pretty solid relationship with the bar owner that took years to form, but this time there was no bar, no sound system, and no certainty of how it would be received or what would happen. It had been on my heart to do it so we just took a step of faith and did it. God totally had our backs and was there to meet people.
I knew exactly where I wanted to have it; it was this dark corner where I had previously seen women prostituting themselves freelance. So we went they and I just started playing and praising God. People, especially Thai people were drawn to the worship. Children, beggars, vendors and women working for sex all came and stood by or behind me to listen. Sam got to have an awesome conversation with an Austrian guy during which he was able to share the Gospel and pray with him. One guy came and gave us 100 baht. We tried giving it back saying were not playing for tips but for Jesus; he said,"I know is good!" and kept walking. We were able to use that money to bless a begging woman with a meal and pray for her afterwards. Western men generally just glared at me, the conviction was obvious. I wasn't there to convict, judge or even do ministry; I was there to worship God; all else that happened was by His Spirit an it was awesome. It was really cool to watch how people reacted to certain songs and which songs drew people closer. Like when I started singing "Prince of Peace", singing, "You are Lord of Lords. You are King of Kings. You are mighty God. Lord of everything...." kids came and sat around and were dancing and smiling. The way that worship bypasses all language and cultural barriers is incredible and a one of a kind experience; it's the kind of beauty that only exists when heaven comes to earth.
I played and sang for 2 straight hours. I didn't break any strings, my voice didn't give out (even though I only recently gained my voice back from being sick, and I had no trouble playing that long. Such a God night. We all agreed that the presence of God was so thick and that we definitely should keep doing it. So we are! God's going to do some awesome things because we're stepping out in some big ways. Praise God!
I knew exactly where I wanted to have it; it was this dark corner where I had previously seen women prostituting themselves freelance. So we went they and I just started playing and praising God. People, especially Thai people were drawn to the worship. Children, beggars, vendors and women working for sex all came and stood by or behind me to listen. Sam got to have an awesome conversation with an Austrian guy during which he was able to share the Gospel and pray with him. One guy came and gave us 100 baht. We tried giving it back saying were not playing for tips but for Jesus; he said,"I know is good!" and kept walking. We were able to use that money to bless a begging woman with a meal and pray for her afterwards. Western men generally just glared at me, the conviction was obvious. I wasn't there to convict, judge or even do ministry; I was there to worship God; all else that happened was by His Spirit an it was awesome. It was really cool to watch how people reacted to certain songs and which songs drew people closer. Like when I started singing "Prince of Peace", singing, "You are Lord of Lords. You are King of Kings. You are mighty God. Lord of everything...." kids came and sat around and were dancing and smiling. The way that worship bypasses all language and cultural barriers is incredible and a one of a kind experience; it's the kind of beauty that only exists when heaven comes to earth.
I played and sang for 2 straight hours. I didn't break any strings, my voice didn't give out (even though I only recently gained my voice back from being sick, and I had no trouble playing that long. Such a God night. We all agreed that the presence of God was so thick and that we definitely should keep doing it. So we are! God's going to do some awesome things because we're stepping out in some big ways. Praise God!