GLBM missionary Peter Judson and I are traveling to churches together to present the work of our national preachers, churches, schools, and orphanages. He and his family are waiting on their children’s final citizenship certificates from the USCIS so that they can acquire their Passports and return permanently to Myanmar to reach lost souls for Christ. Peter is always a blessing because of his spirit. You do not have to be around him long before you know that the man walks with God. He is a powerful soul-winner. I believe that he will do a great job in Myanmar and he will be a very effective pastor because he is a born leader and loves people.
The whole Judson family is a blessing to our church in Upstate New York. They all speak English very well but when Peter addresses our congregation from the platform, the listeners are immediately aware that he is not as comfortable speaking in English as he is in his native tongue. However, when we were together in Myanmar recently, in November and December, he had an amazing power, an authority, to preach the Gospel and witness to his own people. It was wonderful to watch. He was very comfortable in his own language.
All of us know where we are the most comfortable. Most people enjoy being in their own home more than anywhere else. Christians ought to be more comfortable in their church than anywhere else in the world or society. But it’s not always the case. Jesus said that offenses would come. Even in the best churches people have misunderstandings. Our human nature and “the old man” raises up every once in a while and has to be brought into submission to the Spirit of God within us. He is the One who makes the child of God comfortable in a world that is hostile to Bible truth.
Peter Judson and his family were not always comfortable in their own homeland. That’s why they left. When they came to America they thought that they could never return to Myanmar. Peter and Ruth Judson came from Buddhist families but soon after migrating to Thailand they heard the Gospel of Christ and became born again Christians. Now they want to return to their homeland so that they can share with their own people that which has so remarkably changed their lives.
Peter and his wife have indeed changed. When we were together in Myanmar last month Peter saw his family for the first time in twenty years and they were amazed at his change. Peter’s mother is a Christian. He led her to the Lord. But Peter’s father continues to cling to his Buddhist culture because he is comfortable in it. He doesn’t want to change. His sister also is Buddhist. All of his friends and acquaintances from his earlier life are Buddhist. When Peter and Ruth Judson return to Myanmar they will be like strangers in their own homeland because they will be very different from the majority of people there.
God has called all Christians to be different. The Apostle Paul said that we are a “peculiar people.” It is not comfortable to be different. But there’s much power and blessing in it. Leaders and winners are always different than the crowd. Mediocrity never makes a difference in this world.
But God changes people. He takes losers and makes them winners. He takes the average and makes them excel. He finds people who aren’t comfortable introducing themselves to another and gives them power to speak to thousands. He gives confidence to the weak. He gives strength to the feeble. He sends His love through someone who was taught to hate. And when He is finished with that life, that person is not only comfortable in doing what they thought they could never accomplish but, they love their life more than they ever did before.
I know this is true! I’m not just talking about Peter Judson. It is the story of my own life. Maybe you are struggling with the changes God wants to make in your life. Don’t! You could be fighting the very thing God will use to make you the most comfortable. Maybe God is trying to remove some dependence in your life by making you more dependent on Him. Maybe God wants to use you on the mission field but you are afraid of leaving the comforts of home and friends. Believe me, Christian, you will always be more comfortable in the will of God than anywhere else on Earth.
Pastor Emmanuel Sinoy and Peter Judson
Peter Judson, Dr. Peter Banfe
Peter Judson meets the man who led him to Christ after twenty years
Peter Judson preaching in Thayet
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