The God Disguise- A Secret Way He Comes To Meet Us

Have you ever wondered why God chose to come to this world in such a humble form? Why not come in all of His spectacular glory and rightfully take back the world He had created. Jesus instead invaded this world in the most unassuming way possible. He didn't even choose a form that was attractive to those around Him.

"[Jesus] grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)

So what am I getting out of all this?

Well, I've been thinking lately about disguises. Maybe God was using a disguise for a very purposeful reason. Let me explain...

In our line of work, many of our team members have to enter dangerous war zones to reach the refugees we serve. Sometimes, this requires a disguise to avoid our mission being thwarted or to avert danger to ourselves and others. Being Westerners, we can be immediately identified by our skin and sometimes hair color. There are those in the areas where we work who would see us as a threat to those they wish to oppress. Thus our own lives are in danger, as well as the refugees whom we are helping with aid, medical care, and the good news of the Gospel.

Recently, the Lord led me to take a small team into a very dangerous area to reach a refugee orphanage that had been oppressed by some very evil people. “When they attack near our orphanage, we hide under tarps and don’t eat for many days. The bullets come everywhere!” We needed a lot of protection to avoid running into these hostile people, so we made the journey on foot covered from head to toe to avoid showing our skin color. It's a hot, sweaty, uncomfortable experience.

Hiding ourselves is necessary to avoid evil, but the revealing of ourselves to new groups of children refugees can be such a wonderful experience. “Your skin is white, your hair is light color, you have big bodies, and good teeth. We are not afraid of you and we are happy you come to see us.” 

The kids dance, laugh, and come to Jesus in droves when we spend time with them. It is a small piece of heaven and an opportunity for joy in the midst of oppression. It fuels our desire to come again and again, even if we have to endure an uncomfortable disguise to reach them.

Maybe God had to use a similar disguise with our world. Maybe Jesus disguised himself as the true King to avoid those who would try to thwart His mission. Maybe He disguised Himself so He could go directly to those who needed Him the most. When people truly came to know Him, their eyes were opened to see Him for who He really was. When the disguise is off, people experience joy, healing, and freedom.

We have the opportunity to continue revealing Jesus to a hurting and broken world. You can be a part of the great rescue story of refugees in Southeast Asia. 

Would you help us go back and reach the oppressed orphanage? 

Here's how you can help right now...

But first - a Givebutter Tutorial:

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Can You Help Us Rescue Refugee Babies?

I've got a special request for you friend. 

I recently had opportunity to meet two brand new lives at a refugee orphanage our team supports here in Southeast Asia. These two babies were abandoned on the orphanage steps the first week after their birth. 

Unfortunately, this act of desperation by refugee parents is more common than you think. Refugee families in our area struggle to survive after fleeing civil war in their villages. Sometimes leaving their children at our orphanage is the only choice parents have. At least then the babies will have something for their hungry stomachs. 

The two babies I met are named Maddy and Matthew and they are incredibly precious. Because of our leaders at the orphanage, they have the opportunity to grow up in a loving environment. 

But world crises like COVID-19 have made it harder and harder for us to offer the support these children desperately need. 

Would you join us in offering a small gift so we can continue to care for these new young babies?

Can you help rescue a life?

But first - a Givebutter Tutorial:

Unless you want to give a tip to Givebutter, be sure to override the automatic tip amount on the next page by choosing ‘Other’ in the dropdown box. Put $0 and no tip to GB will be applied to your donation.

If you choose to cover the required processing fee for your donation, this is another gift to PPM and your donation for charitable contribution purposes will include that amount.

If not, click Edit next to your donation amount and uncheck ‘I want to cover fees.’ PPM will then cover the required fees.

What Are You Asking God For? Why Not Ask Him For This...

What have you asked the Lord for lately? I pose the question because I know many of us have given up asking. Life is difficult. Maybe you've cried out to God and never received what you hoped for. Maybe as a result of unanswered prayer, you've given up asking God for anything at all.

If I can, I'd like to encourage you to try again. Now I don't mean asking God for selfish things, like an exorbitant amount of money to spend in selfish ways. I'm more talking about the humble asking of a child before their Heavenly Father. I honestly do believe that God loves granting our requests when they are brought to him with a grateful heart.

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matt. 7:9-11)

So what are the "good gifts" we should be asking for. Maybe a story will help.

Recently, I was with one of our outreach teams offering aid to impoverished refugees in the jungles of southeast Asia. One morning I woke up and did something I have never done before. I asked the Lord "for something very special to happen today." 

After we had spent some time with hundreds of the refugees handing out food and praying for them, a 35-year-old man came up to me overwhelmed with excitement. He proceeded to tell me that he had received Jesus for the first time and that he had been radically healed of leg pain. One of the team members had given him a pair of reading glasses and he was ecstatic to tell me he could actually read the Bible we had given him.

Over and over again he kept telling me thank you and that he had such a great joy and happiness. He told me that "everything felt so special" to him. It was then that I remembered the prayer I prayed that morning. God had lavished his love to this man through me, and in the process had answered my prayer.

And so I need to send a thank you out to you, our supporters as well. It's through your incredible gifts that lives like that refugee man's are changed. You also help me see God answer my own prayers.

How about you? Why not try asking God for "something special' today?

There are more refugees waiting for their own answer to prayer. 

Can you help?

But first - a Givebutter Tutorial:

Unless you want to give a tip to Givebutter, be sure to override the automatic tip amount on the next page by choosing ‘Other’ in the dropdown box. Put $0 and no tip to GB will be applied to your donation.

If you choose to cover the required processing fee for your donation, this is another gift to PPM and your donation for charitable contribution purposes will include that amount.

If not, click Edit next to your donation amount and uncheck ‘I want to cover fees.’ PPM will then cover the required fees.