Thomas the Doubter

I'd planned on my first blog to be about the title of my page, Psalm 119, but this is something thats been circling through my head since I found out about it yesterday. Thomas the Apostle followed his great commission all the way to India! He landed on its western coast in the year 52 A.D. Wow. Not only that but he founded seven churches before being martyred. On top of that, there had been Jewish communities living in India before he ever arrived! I got this info from Wikipedia at this address- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syro-Malabar_Church .
This is huge to me because before I became a believer five years ago, one of my biggest doubts was how the Gospel couldnt have reached the whole world. Even after I had become a believer in the Lord, this doubt was still there. I decided that I would take it on faith that God had spread the news or made possible salvation for those "unreached". Still God can tell me when I get home just how many times the prayer of "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" went out to him. And He was faithful through my walk as his Spirit lead me to answers. 1st the fact that we do have an adversary who doesnt want the world to come to know Christ and what he accomplished at the cross. He has been more unsuccessful in that than is known now but has been recently very successful in propaganda. 2nd God is all powerful, he could have rocks proclaim the truth if he wanted. 3rd that He possibly wrote the Gospel in the stars (i'll expand on that on at a later date maybe). The fourth answer has been he most faith affirming for me- secular scientists dont have all the answers they say they do! A great organization called Answers in Genesis does far better job than me at defending against the many secular "rock solid Theories". Yes, I'm a Creationist! I believe in the Gap theory though, also possibly a later post. But to this date I've never seen a spread of early Christianity map that goes past the area of the Mediterrean and Middle East and that was a still slow growth up into the 4th century. Why dont they show the Indian expansion? If there has been strong evidence of Christianity in India in the mid 1st century, why not show it? Was it just not big enough? And if that was left out, what else is left out?
But to top it off, the disciple who went the farthest was Thomas the Doubter. Possibly anyway, who knows how far they could have gone that just doesnt have evidence to support it today.

John 20:26-29
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas , "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." NIV

I admit it, this scene kinda made me write off Thomas. I mean I knew that he went and died a martyrs death, but he seemed kinda ready to die anyway. After all he was also the one who said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." John 11:16 NIV. He said that about going back to Judea to resurrect Lazarus, because the people had tried to stone Jesus there. By that point he must have seen many miracles, he's kinda like the disciples throw back to the first generation of Hebrews in the desert. You know, "Yeah, yeah you parted the sea, made the water sweet, and rained down manna, but..." With Thomas it was, "Yeah, you've healed people, turned water to wine, walked on water, but there's no way you can do anything about this one." This doubting Thomas (pun intended) is the same one who sailed forty days on the sea to land in India. Who stayed there the rest of his days, which is thought to be about 20 years more. He planted churches that lasted through intense isolation for several hundred years at a time.
I know why the Holy Spirit lead me to Thomas and what he accomplished. It's because I can see elements of my walk in his. How often have I wanted to see proof. Many times have I said to God, "Yeah, yeah, you've done this and this in my life, but there's no way you can overcome this problem." And He was giving me 'proof' just like the Lord let Thomas put his hand to his side. I found evidence of how God has spread his word much farther than I've ever seen. Furthermore, I know that God is showing me through this that He wants to do amazing things with my life if I let Him. If I turn to My Lord and My God and walk the way he calls all Christians to do.
I started this blog because God has graciously answered my prayers and greatly increased my faith and love for him and I wanted a pure outlet for that. I have a myspace account but I use that for family purposes too, and I wanted to have something devoted to my thoughts on the Lord and a place to put apologetics material. Also a place to express my support of the persecuted Church. But beyond those reasons is the hope that my two unbelieving sisters will read my posts and find Christs light within me much brighter in writing than it is over the phone (we live a whole eastern seaboard away from each other). I constantly find my conversation lacking in "salt" when I speak with them and its a source of sorrow to me.
Maybe, they can see my journey and learn from it. That is if this blog doesn't go the way every single diary I've ever started has, a few entries then nothing, lol.