BAPTIST SEMANARY OF SOUTH INDIA

A Paper on

Paul’s letter to Myanmar churches (All Age Groups)

Submitted to

Prof. Dr. Augustine

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Course

Pauline Theology

(M. Th. 1st year)

Thet Khaing Oo

Date Submitted: 17/2/2021

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 Paul’s letter to Myanmar churches

1. Introduction
2. Myanmar Christian Spiritual challenges

A. Relationship with Non- Christians

B. Christian and money

3. To Different age groups in the Church

A. To Pastors and Deacons

B. To Youth

C. To Men (Husband)

D. To Women (Wife)

E. To Children

F. To Parents

4. Conclusion

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1. Introduction
I would like to share with you an imaginary letter from the pen of the Apostle Paul. This
is the latter that Apostle Paul writing a letter to Myanmar churches in 2021 A.D. I, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to you who are in Myanmar, Grace be unto
you, and peace from God our Father, through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen!
For many years I have longed to be able to come to see you. I have heard so much of you
and of what you are doing. I have heard of the fascinating and astounding advances that
you have lived in the scientific realm. I have heard of your dashing subways and flashing
airplanes. Through your scientific genius you have been able to dwarf distance and place
time in chains. So in your world you have made it possible to eat breakfast in New York
City and dinner in Paris, France. I have also heard of your skyscraping buildings with
their prodigious towers steeping heavenward. I have heard of your great medical
advances, which have resulted in the curing of many dread plagues and diseases, and
thereby prolonged your lives and made for greater security and physical well-being. All
of that is marvellous. You can do so many things in your day that I could not do in the
Greco-Roman world of my day. In your age you can travel distances in one day that took
me three months to travel. That is wonderful. You have made tremendous strides in the
area of scientific and technological development.
2. Myanmar Christian Spiritual challenges

But Myanmar, as I look at you from afar, I wonder whether your moral and spiritual
progress has been commensurate with your scientific progress. It seems to me that your
moral progress lags behind your scientific progress. Your poet Thoreau used to talk
about “improved means to an unimproved end.” How often this is true. You have
allowed the material means by which you live to outdistance the spiritual ends for which
you live. You have allowed your mentality to outrun your morality. You have allowed
your civilization to outdistance your culture. Through your scientific genius you have
made of the world a neighbourhood, but through your moral and spiritual genius you
have failed to make of it a brotherhood. So Myanmar, I would urge you to keep your
moral advances abreast with your scientific advances of Modern world.

A. Relationship with Non- Christian World

I am impelled to write you concerning the responsibilities laid upon you to live as
Christians in the midst of an unchristian world. That is what I had to do. That is what

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 every Christian has to do. But I understand that there are many Christians in
Myanmar who give their ultimate allegiance to man-made systems and customs. They
are afraid to be different. Their great concern is to be accepted socially. They live by
some such principle as this: “everybody is doing it, so it must be alright.” For so
many of you Morality is merely group consensus. In your modern sociological lingo,
the mores are accepted as the right ways. You have unconsciously come to believe
that right is discovered by taking a sort of Gallup poll of the majority opinion. How
many are giving their ultimate allegiance to this way.

But Myanmar Christians, I must say to you as I said to the first century Roman
Christians, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind.” Or, as I said to the Philippians Christians, “Ye are a colony of heaven.”
This means that although you live in the colony of time, your ultimate allegiance is to
the empire of eternity. You have a dual citizenry. You live both in time and eternity;
both in heaven and earth. Therefore, your ultimate allegiance is not to the
government, not to the state, not to nation, not to any man-made institution. The
Christian owes his ultimate allegiance to God, and if any earthly institution conflicts
with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to take a stand against it. You must never
allow the transitory evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence
over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.

B. Christian and money

I understand that you have a wonderful economic system in your country. Through
this economic system you have been able to do wonders. You might become one of
the richest. But Myanmar, there is the danger that you will misuse your economic
system. I still contend that money can be the root of all evils. It can cause one to live a
life of gross materialism. I am afraid that many among you are more concerned about
making a living than making a life. You are prone to judge the success of your
profession by the index of your salary and the size of the wheel base on your
automobile, rather than the quality of your service to humanity. You can use your
powerful economic resources to wipe poverty from the face of the earth. But God
intends for all of his children to have the basic necessities of life, and he has left in
this universe “enough and to spare’ for that purpose. So I call upon you to bridge the
gulf between abject poverty and superfluous wealth.

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3. To Different age groups in the Church

I would that I could be with you in person, so that I could say to you face to face what I
am forced to say to you in writing. Oh, how I long to share your fellowship. Let me rush
on to say something about the church. Myanmar, I must remind you, as I have said to so
many others, that the church is the Body of Christ. So when the church is true to its
nature it knows neither division nor disunity. But I am disturbed about what you are
doing to the Body of Christ. I heard that in Myanmar you have many denominations. It is
good to see but the tragedy is that most of them are warring against each other with a
claim to absolute truth rather than to follow Christ. This narrow sectarianism is
destroying the unity of the Body of Christ. I heard that there are racism, discriminating
between poor and gilded and gender in the church. This is against everything that the
Christian faith stands for. I must say to you as I have said to so many Christians before,
that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.” So Myanmar I must urge
you to get rid of every aspect of segregation. So I would like to write all difference age
groups of beloved believers.

A. To Pastors and Deacons

Paul, a servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To Dear Pastors and Deacons in
Myanmar, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I
thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers I heard your love and of
the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus Christ and for all the Saints and I
appreciate that you are standstill indirectly persecution. And I pray that the sharing of
your faith and to defence of your faith against the false teachers who came to deceive
all the believers by using new modern ideologies.

I heard that your world have improved the social media, and most pastors became
social media preachers. One way it is good to spread the word but the other way there
available doctrinal many wrong preaching. Very sad thing is that they are more
emphasizing the physical apparent rather than their inner spiritual. I also heard that
prosperity gospel is coming up and popular among your churches in Myanmar and
most of the pastors do their ministry for their own sake. I would like to remind as
before that “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you,

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 not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking
perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert,
remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish
each one with tears. (Acts 20:17, 28-31, NASB)

I heard that there are so many Bible Seminaries for making disciples in the
discipleship ministry. It should be done after careful scrutiny according to its
qualification that I gave to Titus and Timothy before that “the saying is trustworthy: If
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anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an
[a]
overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-
controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but
gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household
well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know
how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not
be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the
condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that
he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1Tim 3: 1-7) 8 Deacons
likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy
for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
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And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove
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themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but
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sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife,
managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as
deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that
is in Christ Jesus (1Tim. 3: 8- 13). Because the false teacher couldn’t live in God’s
standard. And train them as the good solider of Christ that I urged Timothy before:
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what
you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,[a]
who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ
Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one
who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the
rules” (2Tim 2: 1-5).

B. To Youth

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 Young people are strong and they can defeat Satan. The age of youth is one of the
strongest periods. The youths are emerging adults with immense energy, creativity,
capability, knowledge, talent and gifting that can be utilized as good instruments to
glorify God. The youth are also mobilized resource that can push ministries to new
heights. I heard that your world is I.T world and how youth who are technologically
savvy can increase visibility of churches and participate in the great commission.
During my ministry journeys, God used so many youths to glorify His name. So I urge
all the youth, “know yourselves what a precious gift of your life period and be a great
instrument for His ministry.” Finally I would like to remind that I urged Timothy that
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in
conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12, ESV).” “Be still strong and
believe in Him!

C. To Men (Husband)

Paul, a servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To Dear men those who are
Husbands in Myanmar, graces to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ! You, husbands are the head of the household that God gives the position
and authority. But I heard that some are coercive to wife and children because of
misinterpret. I clearly said that “Women, submit to your own men, as to the Lord. The
husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of his called out people. He
himself is the Saviour of that body. Just as the called out people submit to Christ, so
also wives should fully submit to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:22-24). The headship
of household should be likeness of Christ. If a woman is going to put herself in
subjection to a man, that man must be trustworthy as Christ is trustworthy. Husband
must sacrifice himself and put his wife before himself in the spirit of Christ’s sacrifice.
The husband’s loves must be selflessness. He must make every necessary sacrifice for
his wife’s wellbeing. He cannot put his own personal interests first. His duty is to his
wife, to his family, and to his household. Then the relationship of Husband and wife
leads to “Submit to one another” (Ephesians 5:21). Finally I would like to remind
again that “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the called out people. He gave
himself up for them, 26to dedicate them. He cleansed them by the washing of water in
the word. 27He did this to present to himself a called out people most beautiful, free of
spot or wrinkle or any such blemish, holy and blameless. 28In the same way husbands

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 should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself”
(Ephesians 5:25-28).”

D. To Woman (Wife)

Paul, a servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To Dear Women those who are
wife in Myanmar, graces to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ! The role of Woman in the church is very important. I heard that in your
modern world, human’s right is the powerful issue and many women want to be the
office of Pastor. But believers should aware all rights should be under the biblical
truth in Church. The bible never rejects the dignity and honour of women but affirm
the importance of women in the Church, and the special roles in which only they can
contribute in the realms of the family, the Church, and the world. Jewish
women disciples, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, had accompanied
Jesus during his ministry and supported him out of their private means.

By the time I began my missionary movement, women were important agents within
the different cities, some of who were Priscilla, Julia and Nereus’ sister,
Tryphena, Tryphosa, Rufus’ mother, Phoebe and etc... They were truly bondservant of
Christ Jesus and they never mind the position. So I urge all of 21st century women as
before: “As in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Women should remain silent
in the churches, they are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law
says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at
home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church (1Cor. 14: 33-35).”
“Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and
discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by
means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman
must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a
woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam
who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the
woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through
the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint
(1Tim 2: 9-15).” “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his
body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives

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 should submit to their husbands in everything (Eph. 5: 22- 24).” Here, the husband and
wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image, but that
husbands and wives have different functions and responsibilities in marriage. The
husband has the God-given responsibility to provide for, protect, and lead his family.
Wives are expected to respect their husbands’ authority and submit to it.

E. To Children

Paul, a servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To Dear Children in Myanmar,
graces to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I see children
are valuable for God. I believe that God’s Spirit is at work in them, so that they are
able to hear and follow God’s word, as responsible people. Jesus welcomed little
children. In fact, Jesus made their “littleness” and seeming insignificance the great
pattern and example of what it means to receive the kingdom of God! I heard that
many children are busy with network game of 21st century world. You have to submit
your parent’s authority and pay attention what they said to you that is the will of God.
As children obey their parents, they are actually joining in on God’s great plans, which
are all centred on “the Lord”, Jesus Christ. I urge you that when you (children) obey
your parents, you are taking part in the new “righteous” life that God has given his
people to live—a life that is to be lived well, according to God’s good standards. So
one again I remind you that “to be renewed by the Spirit of your minds and put on the
new humanity, which has been created according to God in the righteousness and
devotion that come from the truth” (Ephesians 4:23–24).

F. To Parents

Paul, a servant of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To Dear parents in Myanmar,
graces to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I know that
Parenting gets more challenges in your modern day than my day. I heard that most of
parents are busy with all works and using smart phone even when they have leisure. It
makes me so sad. The Bible is full of examples for you about being parents. First of all
you need to know that every child is unique and special and God’s own. So you need
to be a good stewardship. For godly generation, it can feel like an uphill battle. Raising
godly kids requires learning what the Bible says about parenting. As Christian parents,
I desire to raise faith-filled kids who stand strong for Christ among their secular

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 culture. Then we might expect our kids to be godly person in our family, Church and
society. I urge you, “Be godly parenting.” Godly parenting means engaging our kids
in a way that most accurately reflects the life and words of Jesus. To parent in a way
that pleases God, you must seek, depend on, and live through Christ.

4. Conclusion

This is an imaginary short letter from the pen of the Apostle Paul to Myanmar
Christianity in the context of 21st century. This assignment helps me to see how we
should move biblically our church, household, our mission among this secular culture.
Moreover it gives me more understanding of sound Christian doctrines. To glorify His
name, we must sacrifice our lives submitting one another in our household and serving
faithfully in the household of our Lord.