It only takes a couple of days in Southeast Asia to realize HOW IMPORTANT the ancestors are to families and the culture.
Most people believe that the dead continue living in the “afterlife” and need relatives to send things to them to make their afterlife better. People go to immense effort to keep the graves clean, “send” fruit, money, tea, and other beneficial things to the afterlife, seek the ancestors for wisdom, and do whatever they can to make sure that they please and take care of them in the afterlife.
Families believe that if they do not honor them, the ancestors will cause misfortune in their lives. However, if they fulfill their duties to the ancestors, blessings will follow the family. Almost everywhere in Asia, we can see people daily bowing down in front of shrines for the ancestors and burning incense for them, worshipping and honoring them.
One of the things that we have heard many times from Chinese students is that they do not want to believe in Jesus because that would not be honoring to their family and ancestors.
The truth is, they are right! People really DO continue to live after life on earth—either in heaven or in hell forever. The awful reality that many choose not to accept but also breaks the hearts of those who believe, is that all of their ancestors are in hell and that there is NOTHING they can do for them on earth to change their eternal existence now.
One of my Chinese friends excitedly accepted Jesus as her Savior, but a few days later came to my house with a question: “What about my deceased family members?” I winced, and painfully answered: “I think you know the truth about them.” She agreed with many tears, saying it wasn’t fair that they did not get to hear the Gospel. But a new desperation to tell all of her village about Jesus Christ began to grow in her.
I was recently contemplating the whole cultural belief system, and the realization hit me of what the ancestors would say if they really DID come back to their families to give wisdom.
The ancestors would most likely join our team as missionaries! They would plead with their families to believe in the name of Jesus Christ. They would want them to know the Truth of abundant and eternal life.
Jesus gives the account in Luke 16:19-31 of a man who passed away and went to Hades, and miserably pleaded for some cool water to touch his tongue and that someone from the dead could go back and warn his family to repent.
If ancestors could talk they would praise those of our friends who have believed in Jesus and often face persecution from their families, and would plead with their families to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
“Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:6
Our hope at Within Reach Global is that the Gospel will get to people before they become “ancestors.” There are still multitudes who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. This truth breaks our hearts and brings us to our knees, praying to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest field.
Will you be one to answer the call with a, “Yes”?