Count the Cost

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” Luke 14:28-30, NIV.

Pang well remembers being made fun of as a child living in the first Christian family in her Hmong village. Tradition is prized and change is shunned within her people, and she knows that the social and emotional cost of following Jesus in the village is high.

“When people want to make a quick decision to follow Jesus, I caution them to wait and learn more,” said Pang. “It has been my experience that quick decisions are often shallow. Such people will leave the faith as quickly as they entered it.”

One of the first warnings that Pang gives a Hmong person considering Christianity is to consider the pressure they will get from their families. Without fail a new Christian will be pressured to return to the animistic and ancestor worship of the family.

Another caution is about suffering and difficulty. Hmong believe that all sickness and difficulty is caused by the bad spirit, and the only way to make things good again is to make sacrifices to the bad spirit. “Difficulties in life will come,” said Pang. “People will pressure you to go back to the old way; unless you are convinced that Jesus is true, you will not be able to withstand their pressure.”

With pain written on her face, Pang related about Hmong who have made quick decisions and later have come to her asking her to pray to take Jesus out of their hearts. “I cannot describe the sadness that such a request brings to my heart,” said Pang.

There have been other Hmong who, instead of making a quick decision, have taken the time to learn what it means to follow Jesus. They counted the costs, and their decisions have been solid. Pang said, “These are the types of decisions that I want for my people, and I’m willing to pay the price and take the time to see such decisions made.”

Pray that:

Pang will have wisdom to discern when the people she is sharing with are ready to make a solid decision to follow Jesus.

God will lead Pang to Hmong who are people of peace.

Churches will be established in many Hmong villages, as many Hmong count the cost and give their hearts to following Jesus.