And They Call Us Crazy?

[terry57]

Dear All,

Thanks for the responses. My name is Tony; everyone calls me Brother Tony. I was raised in Thailand as my Dad was stationed here doing special ops when I was a teenager. I graduated from the International School of Bangkok (ISB) in 1992; and after graduation, I began a career in Muay Thai (Thai boxing) boxing on Thai television under the ring name of "Tony Sasiprapa-gym". My mother is Vietnamese, and I was raised in a buddhist home being a buddhist growing up.

In July 1995, I was born again as I heard the word of God preached to me. I became a new creature. I was once a man full of hate and made a career of hurting people; but once I was born again, the love of God came into my heart by the Holy Ghost. I was born again from the living word of God preached to me as I put my faith in God's word.

Since I have been born again, it is my calling to preach the gospel to every creature; and this is what I have been doing for over 10 years full time. I not only preach in Bangkok but also all over Thailand from the North to the South to the Northeast to the Thai/Myanmar border. Plus, I have preached in Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and back in the U.S. on a number of occasions. This April, I am going forth to preach the gospel in Pakistan. And yes, I have done jail time for preaching in the U.S. of all places.

I am not supported by a church or an organization living completely by faith in God. Niether do I preach for a church or an organization, but I do preach in different churches on Sundays but not for them. I preach in them but not for them. I have a one year non-immigrant visa due to being married to a Thai national. I used to use a one year residence visa; but since I travel so much nowadays, the non immigrant "o" visa is perfect for me now. My wife is a Christian after seeing the change in my life after I was born again. We lived together for 3 years before I was born again. She saw such a change in my life that she put her faith in Christ as well. Praise God!

Well, I hope that answers everything. Yes, I am the first to admit that I am crazy as I wrote in my first blog; but I am crazy for Christ. I have learned it is better to be crazy for Christ than to be crazy for the devil. I am a fool for Christ, but whose fool are you? I'm sorry for not answering everyone's blog straightaway as I am not online often. And I am sorry for not being able to answer in the near future as I will be offline until maybe Monday.

Once again, it is written: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14). They may not listen to us, but we are heard; and the gospel is preached to the people as a witness unto them. You know exactly what we are preaching and who we are preaching: the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is all that we are doing. I am not a humanitarian, and I have no hope that this world will get better: the end is near. We preach not to do good or make people better; we preach for souls to repent. You will either reject the preaching or repent at the preaching. The main thing is that you have been witnessed to. Amen.

As for converts, my Dad, after years of rejecting the gospel preached to him by me, has finally put his faith in Christ. He was a career soldier for the U.S. doing Special Ops and has done time in Iraq as a mercenary. But he finally repented at the preaching of the gospel of Christ last year. There are many more, but he is the one that I have been praying for and labouring for for so many years. Praise ye the LORD!

let me put another spin on brother tony.

as you can see he is a very intelligent guy who has decided to dedicate his life to this cause whether one accepts it or not.

if he did not go this way he could of been very succesful in any other field he choose considering his ability to absorb and dispence knowledge.

to be able to stand up in front of people and spit out his believes is no easy feat, so his brain is working well.

considering all the farang nutters running around los i would consider brother tony to be one of the more sainer ones as he does not bother anybody as you have a choise whether you listen to him or not.

i put to you all, that he is definately not crazy and more driven and committed to a cause than most of us, including myself.

its not my gig but i respect his ability to be able to deliver his message.

if you guys get a chance to talk to him he is very welcoming.

thank you very much.

[terry57]

Ok OH God! we've given him his 5 minutes of fame now let's not give him anymore. Somebody please close down this thread.

let the thread run its course as its not breaking any forum rules.

lets hear more from the man on monday as ive personally met this guy and he has a story to tell.

could be a tad more interesting than some of the crud that gets thrown up from time to time.

thank you very much.

[kayo]

Dear All,

Thanks for the responses. My name is Tony; everyone calls me Brother Tony. I was raised in Thailand as my Dad was stationed here doing special ops when I was a teenager. I graduated from the International School of Bangkok (ISB) in 1992; and after graduation, I began a career in Muay Thai (Thai boxing) boxing on Thai television under the ring name of "Tony Sasiprapa-gym". My mother is Vietnamese, and I was raised in a buddhist home being a buddhist growing up.

In July 1995, I was born again as I heard the word of God preached to me. I became a new creature. I was once a man full of hate and made a career of hurting people; but once I was born again, the love of God came into my heart by the Holy Ghost. I was born again from the living word of God preached to me as I put my faith in God's word.

Since I have been born again, it is my calling to preach the gospel to every creature; and this is what I have been doing for over 10 years full time. I not only preach in Bangkok but also all over Thailand from the North to the South to the Northeast to the Thai/Myanmar border. Plus, I have preached in Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and back in the U.S. on a number of occasions. This April, I am going forth to preach the gospel in Pakistan. And yes, I have done jail time for preaching in the U.S. of all places.

I am not supported by a church or an organization living completely by faith in God. Niether do I preach for a church or an organization, but I do preach in different churches on Sundays but not for them. I preach in them but not for them. I have a one year non-immigrant visa due to being married to a Thai national. I used to use a one year residence visa; but since I travel so much nowadays, the non immigrant "o" visa is perfect for me now. My wife is a Christian after seeing the change in my life after I was born again. We lived together for 3 years before I was born again. She saw such a change in my life that she put her faith in Christ as well. Praise God!

Well, I hope that answers everything. Yes, I am the first to admit that I am crazy as I wrote in my first blog; but I am crazy for Christ. I have learned it is better to be crazy for Christ than to be crazy for the devil. I am a fool for Christ, but whose fool are you? I'm sorry for not answering everyone's blog straightaway as I am not online often. And I am sorry for not being able to answer in the near future as I will be offline until maybe Monday.

Once again, it is written: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14). They may not listen to us, but we are heard; and the gospel is preached to the people as a witness unto them. You know exactly what we are preaching and who we are preaching: the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is all that we are doing. I am not a humanitarian, and I have no hope that this world will get better: the end is near. We preach not to do good or make people better; we preach for souls to repent. You will either reject the preaching or repent at the preaching. The main thing is that you have been witnessed to. Amen.

As for converts, my Dad, after years of rejecting the gospel preached to him by me, has finally put his faith in Christ. He was a career soldier for the U.S. doing Special Ops and has done time in Iraq as a mercenary. But he finally repented at the preaching of the gospel of Christ last year. There are many more, but he is the one that I have been praying for and labouring for for so many years. Praise ye the LORD!

Thanks for expanding a bit about yourself. You seem more real to us now, and less troll/ish.

I think it is a bit wierd what you are doing in the streets, but each to their own.

[tuky]

considering all the farang nutters running around los i would consider brother tony to be one of the more sainer ones as he does not bother anybody as you have a choise whether you listen to him or not.

Watch the video mate, the only choice Tony leaves people is to move on to a pub further away as those within 100 metres have no choice to but to listen, or 'hear but not listen' as Tony says.

WHat about the people that do not want to 'hear' him but 'listen' to the music?

[terry57]

ill never forget the first time i seen brother tony delivering his word.

he is a powerfully built dude, highly animated, talking in a loud, clear voice spitting out his message.

im no religous dude, but i had to stop and watch him as he is something to see when in full action.

at the end of his speach he is absolutely soaked in sweat and his white shirt just dripping.

his misses would have a hard job keeping up with his washing.

[jdinasia]

The guy really IS funny ... sadly knowing so little about his professed religion makes him out to be a clown <no offense Kayo>

I don't disparage his beliefs ... but yelling on street corners is not a good example. Instead it is a show of piety for others ... an ego booster if you will! Stepping down into the slums and spreading the word whilst helping people ... doing good works just because they need to be done etc .... good things ... shouting at folks drinking .... bad idea!

[sbk]

I don't disparage his beliefs ... but yelling on street corners is not a good example. Instead it is a show of piety for others ... an ego booster if you will! Stepping down into the slums and spreading the word whilst helping people ... doing good works just because they need to be done etc .... good things ... shouting at folks drinking .... bad idea!

I'm with Jdinasia, a true Christian is one who proves his belief not through words but actions. Jimmy Carter springs to mind, as does the priest helping the poor of Klong Toey (sorry forgot his name, Father Joe?)

[tuky]

ill never forget the first time i seen brother tony delivering his word.

he is a powerfully built dude, highly animated, talking in a loud, clear voice spitting out his message.

im no religous dude, but i had to stop and watch him as he is something to see when in full action.

at the end of his speach he is absolutely soaked in sweat and his white shirt just dripping.

his misses would have a hard job keeping up with his washing.

We know what you are doing mate and we are watching.

[terry57]

considering all the farang nutters running around los i would consider brother tony to be one of the more sainer ones as he does not bother anybody as you have a choise whether you listen to him or not.

Watch the video mate, the only choice Tony leaves people is to move on to a pub further away as those within 100 metres have no choice to but to listen, or 'hear but not listen' as Tony says.

WHat about the people that do not want to 'hear' him but 'listen' to the music?

im hearing you tuky and you are correct, but he moves on after a while.

suppose one could always move further away from him if he gets to you, but thats not the point is it.

funny how he he dont worry the thais, but they are used to farangs being a bit on the edge.

he dont worry me though as i find him amusing.

[kayo]

The guy really IS funny ... sadly knowing so little about his professed religion makes him out to be a clown <no offense Kayo>

.......

none taken jd

[Maestro]

”...this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world...and then shall the end come."

Don’t rush your preaching, Brother Tony. I don’t want the end to come too soon.

--

Maestro

[Temporaneo]

I was once a man full of hate

Believe me you still are. I suggest you biblical knowledge of a few bar ladies to really get rid of it.

Edited March 24, 2007 by Temporaneo

[PeaceBlondie]

I don't disparage his beliefs ... but yelling on street corners is not a good example. Instead it is a show of piety for others ... an ego booster if you will! Stepping down into the slums and spreading the word whilst helping people ... doing good works just because they need to be done etc .... good things ... shouting at folks drinking .... bad idea!

I'm with Jdinasia, a true Christian is one who proves his belief not through words but actions. Jimmy Carter springs to mind, as does the priest helping the poor of Klong Toey (sorry forgot his name, Father Joe?)

I agree as well, sbk, but one of the problems among the best Christians is that many of them have a dividing wall of evangelism without good works, versus good works without all that trying to convert the heathen. No wall necessary. Jimmy Carter grew up in a segregated Baptist world that evangelized but barely saw Blacks as human, and he left more than one church on his spiritual journey, to be more inclusive while he did good works.

Brother Tony, you can find a Bible verse that says we should all do the work of an evangelist, but when you do it the way we see on the video you provided us, we don't see what we need to see. If you want to debate Christian pacifism as obedience, send me a PM.

[Temporaneo]

Ok OH God! we've given him his 5 minutes of fame now let's not give him anymore. Somebody please close down this thread.

No ! I am having so much fun reading it....and it is for free !

[garro]

While I see what Tony is doing as fairly harmless here, more entertainment than anything else. I would be more worried about his planned trip to Pakistan where he is likely to not only get himself killed but also others as well. He is also likely to increase religious hatred in that region. I think that Tony should remain focused on the Thai bar areas as he is less of a danger there.

Crazy? depends on how you define crazy

[uptou]

brother tony's commitment to causes has to be admired,the boxing,the drink & drugs,& now religion.he seems to put 100% dedication into a subject or cause,maybe he needs one.

i do wonder what drives people to try & convert people like this.i remember seing a woman in nz spreading the word of god in a supermarket.she was following people around the store & having a word in there ear as they went through the check out.it seemed like she was trying to get her claws into people.

[pampal]

Brother Tony should be left alone to meditate for 40 days, and then he will claim he has talked to god and is a prophet.

Lunatic is more like it

[terry57]

While I see what Tony is doing as fairly harmless here, more entertainment than anything else. I would be more worried about his planned trip to Pakistan where he is likely to not only get himself killed but also others as well. He is also likely to increase religious hatred in that region. I think that Tony should remain focused on the Thai bar areas as he is less of a danger there.

Crazy? depends on how you define crazy

very good point,

the people that are calling this guy crazy are invited to define crazy.

is he more crazy than the drunken farang that harrases other farangs in bars or farang that are disrespectful to the thai, religion and country.?

is he more crazy than the farang that spend all there money on bar girls and then find themselves on the loosing side ?

i could go on forever but you all get my point.

this guy has been down and out and now does this for himself without harming other people.

he annoys some people that dont want to hear it, but he's no more offensive than some of the bad mannered farang getting around the place.

i would rather see these sort of people closed down than this guy.

thank you very much.

[DirkGently]

Phew! I am sure glad that big brother Tony is puuting his able body and nimble mind to a good cause, like shouting on a street corner at disinterested farangs and Thai girls who dont understand a word. MUUUUCH better than wasting time by helping people, getting his hands dirty or helping sex workers in a non-judgemental way. I would have some respect for these guys if they did something good for people and didnt say a word about god.

I have met the likes of these guys before and find them nice on the outside but with something deeply wrong on the inside. I think its guilt. In the same way most people on death row 'find jesus'. Maybe delusion beats guilt.

But when all is said and done not one of us will find the answer till we die. If god doesnt let me as the person I am, then to hel_l with him.

Tony stop wasting your time and do something real useful. If you walked from Nana to Cowboy you would have had to step over those poor begger kids. Did you stop? Did you help? Did you offer them a clean bed and a place to stay?

The human race will not progress if we cling to this nonsense.

[tuky]

Terry, if some hawker was yelling out about his gem stones outside the pub that you were enjoying a beer and the music how would you feel?

No matter what Tony's background he is no different to that.

[Robski]

this guy is 100 % strait up with his conviction.

ive talked to him on koh san road and the weekend market.

his life story is very interesting and let me see if i can remember it.

1. vietnamese mother and american father born in vietnam.

2. came to thailand with mother when very young.

3. lived on the street as an urchin stealing to survive.

4. turned into a drug addict and alcoholic being harassed by police.

5. turned life around and became a top thai boxer winning a title.

6. found christianity and became a preacher on the streets of bangkok devoting his life to religion.

anybody that has met brother tony would not doubt the thai boxer story as he is one powerfully built mother foe.

anyway,

to say he is crazy is a very harsh assessment and i would prefer to say his is driven by his conviction.

if you listen to his life story you might then get a feel for where he has come from.

anyway brother tony,

am i correct with my recollection of your life story ?

maybe you will remember me, a bald headed handsome australian called terry.

good luck to you.

let me put another spin on brother tony.

as you can see he is a very intelligent guy who has decided to dedicate his life to this cause whether one accepts it or not.

if he did not go this way he could of been very succesful in any other field he choose considering his ability to absorb and dispence knowledge.

to be able to stand up in front of people and spit out his believes is no easy feat, so his brain is working well.

considering all the farang nutters running around los i would consider brother tony to be one of the more sainer ones as he does not bother anybody as you have a choise whether you listen to him or not.

i put to you all, that he is definately not crazy and more driven and committed to a cause than most of us, including myself.

its not my gig but i respect his ability to be able to deliver his message.

if you guys get a chance to talk to him he is very welcoming.

thank you very much.

let the thread run its course as its not breaking any forum rules.

lets hear more from the man on monday as ive personally met this guy and he has a story to tell.

could be a tad more interesting than some of the crud that gets thrown up from time to time.

thank you very much.

Terry your a nice bloke mate, even if you did swalow a dictionary and call yourself 'Reverand Terence' for a while.

But you're not always right, Tony is a wacko, the bit of background fills in the reasons why he so obviously has something missing in his life,

but he is mentally unstable, a nuisance and a very bad advert for both farangs and religion. Kool Aid anyone?

Edited March 24, 2007 by Robski

[terry57]

im in bed the other day after a hard night on the firestation.

a bunch of complete nutters ( johavah witnesses) come banging on my door in the middle of the day waking me up.

sounded like i had the police force trying to gain entry.

anyway, you can imagine my responce to them, ( dont think they will be back to my house.)

tony preaches on the streets and these people invade peoples privacy by coming to your house uninvited.

i dont mind people standing on the street doing there thing, but to go around bashing on doors is out of

order.

this is what i call crazy and possibly dangerous for there health.

[jdinasia]

this guy is 100 % strait up with his conviction.

ive talked to him on koh san road and the weekend market.

his life story is very interesting and let me see if i can remember it.

1. vietnamese mother and american father born in vietnam.

2. came to thailand with mother when very young.

3. lived on the street as an urchin stealing to survive.

4. turned into a drug addict and alcoholic being harassed by police.

5. turned life around and became a top thai boxer winning a title.

6. found christianity and became a preacher on the streets of bangkok devoting his life to religion.

anybody that has met brother tony would not doubt the thai boxer story as he is one powerfully built mother foe.

anyway,

to say he is crazy is a very harsh assessment and i would prefer to say his is driven by his conviction.

if you listen to his life story you might then get a feel for where he has come from.

anyway brother tony,

am i correct with my recollection of your life story ?

maybe you will remember me, a bald headed handsome australian called terry.

good luck to you.

let me put another spin on brother tony.

as you can see he is a very intelligent guy who has decided to dedicate his life to this cause whether one accepts it or not.

if he did not go this way he could of been very succesful in any other field he choose considering his ability to absorb and dispence knowledge.

to be able to stand up in front of people and spit out his believes is no easy feat, so his brain is working well.

considering all the farang nutters running around los i would consider brother tony to be one of the more sainer ones as he does not bother anybody as you have a choise whether you listen to him or not.

i put to you all, that he is definately not crazy and more driven and committed to a cause than most of us, including myself.

its not my gig but i respect his ability to be able to deliver his message.

if you guys get a chance to talk to him he is very welcoming.

thank you very much.

let the thread run its course as its not breaking any forum rules.

lets hear more from the man on monday as ive personally met this guy and he has a story to tell.

could be a tad more interesting than some of the crud that gets thrown up from time to time.

thank you very much.

Terry your a nice bloke mate, even if you did swalow a dictionary and call yourself 'Reverand Terence' for a while.

But you're not always right, Tony is a wacko, the bit of background fills in the reasons why he so obviously has something missing in his life,

but he is mentally unstable, a nuisance and a very bad advert for both farangs and religion. Kool Aid anyone?

The guy is not technically a farang

however

Maybe he'll get some understanding of his religion at some point!

[garro]

I don't know why everyone is complaining. All you Bangkok Farang have the perfect excuse if you want to get away from the wife/GF for the day. Tell her your off to Nana or Soi Cowboy to listen to the preacher

[terry57]

Terry, if some hawker was yelling out about his gem stones outside the pub that you were enjoying a beer and the music how would you feel?

No matter what Tony's background he is no different to that.

this is the difference tuky,

the dude that was flogging gem stones i would find unhumourous, annoying, boring and not worthy to be there as he's trying to gain personal wealth at my expense.

its maybe because ive chatted to tony a few times, know his story and can respect where he has come from.

im the sort of guy who will always stand up for a person who is trying to do something with his life after being on the end of a bad deal.

tony is harmless, never hurts anybody except to maybe piss of a few punters that get annoyed at his ravings.

its just me but i find him amusing and he usually draws a good crowd who come in for a look.

an innocent guy that annoy's a few punters.

no big deal in my book of life.

[bkkmadness]

I don't know why everyone is complaining. All you Bangkok Farang have the perfect excuse if you want to get away from the wife/GF for the day. Tell her your off to Nana or Soi Cowboy to listen to the preacher

Brings a whole new element to midnight mass.

[KhunMarco]

yawn... defending the indefensible

[uptou]

i think i saw this crowd at the end of khao san rd at 11pm one night.my first thought was,what the &lt;deleted&gt;,very bizzare,but shortly after i found it very funny.preachers at the end of khao san at 11pm,a tough job if ever i saw one,trying to convert the pissed up falang.they lightened up my night after travelling all day.

[andook]

There are a lot of foreign religious (Christian) organisations that really make a difference here. ie; The work of Father Maiar (sp?) with the Khlong Toey slum kids, and the stirling work done by the Camillian Centre in Rayong.

Visit the site and make a contribution or just read about what they do. As opposed to letting some evangelist psycho with a thing about prostitution dens get all the headlines...?

They aren't all nutters.

Edited March 24, 2007 by andook

[terry57]

i think i saw this crowd at the end of khao san rd at 11pm one night.my first thought was,what the &lt;deleted&gt;,very bizzare,but shortly after i found it very funny.preachers at the end of khao san at 11pm,a tough job if ever i saw one,trying to convert the pissed up falang.they lightened up my night after travelling all day.

exactly my first experience with the preachers. gave me a huge laugh especially watching the thai reaction.

i suppose the secret is to not take it too seriously if your not interested in the religous angle.

i approached it as a top bit of entertainmment on koh san road.