At the age of twenty-four, Somsak Rinasak and his wife were raising three children and facing urgent financial need. They decided to travel 120 kilometers to ask his mother-in-law for help. When they arrived, however, she was attending a gospel outreach. They waited and listened to the sermon preached by a Thai pastor.

The message of the gospel deeply moved them. Both decided to follow Jesus, so absorbed that they completely forgot their original reason for the trip. After coming to faith, they experienced a peace and joy they had never known before. Returning home, they discovered that there were no other Christians within a 120-kilometer radius. With no church community to rely on, they learned to read Scripture, pray, and live out their faith on their own. Somsak’s understanding of Christianity came directly from the Bible, unshaped by Western church traditions or imported forms. Over time, this gave rise to a way of following Christ that was firmly rooted in Scripture and deeply attuned to the Thai context.

This lived, contextualized faith later became a cornerstone of the missionary vision of the Association of Free Churches in Thailand (AFT). Their approach to evangelism and discipleship is distinctly Thai, faithful to the Bible, yet attentive to Thai ways of thinking and seeing the world, so that Thai people may encounter Christ within a cultural framework that feels familiar and intelligible.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, through the blood of Christ we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of Your grace. May the people of Thailand hear and respond to Your loving call, just as the first disciples left their nets without hesitation to follow You. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon our Thai brothers and sisters. As they read Scripture and pray, grant them deep spiritual insight and a growing knowledge of You. Equip them with Your truth, that Your people may be made complete and prepared for every good work. Guide the Thai church as it develops discipleship and pastoral-training resources that are truly rooted in the local context. May every gospel worker experience Your abundant provision, strength in body, mind, and spirit, and may their families be kept and sustained by Your grace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.