St.Clair's in Missions

New Ministry Plans

2012-02-06T20:06:00.001-08:00

Dear family and friends,

At this point last year, we were at a very similar place, but with very different directions. Last year, we were on the way to Candidate Week with Operation: Mobilization without any specific leading on where God would place in the world. This year, we are on the way to Candidate Week with Africa Inland Mission (AIM) with plans to move to Kenya and teach in a Bible college, training national pastors and missionaries to reach Africa.

On February 13-18, Abby, Kyle and I will be driving to Atlanta to meet with AIM's US staff for a final week of interviews, training, and ministry. If we are accepted by AIM, we will begin the process of raising a support team again and leave for Africa as soon as the Lord provides.

This past year has been a very trying time for us, in one sense. God's timing is not our own and it can be difficult to wait on the Lord. We have tried to faithfully pursue every door that the Lord opens to us. During times when God closes doors, we have sometimes felt like we're getting nowhere. So we just wait, pray, seek wisdom, and pursue the next open door God presents.

At the same time, this past year has been one of great joy for us. I could not put into words how much Kyle has changed our lives. I'm sure every parent remembers feeling this way. Every day we live with him is full of joy and laughter. Abby and I have both said that before Kyle, we loved each other wholly, as deeply as we knew how. But having Kyle has deepened the level of love that we possess. We love him more than we thought we could. Not only do I love Kyle more, but I love Abby in a greater way than before. And I appreciate her so much more as well. I'd seen her be a wonderful wife, sweet homemaker, faithful companion and partner in ministry; but now I'm seeing what a great mother and caregiver she is as well. So our life is happier than ever. Even more, we can see God's purpose in keeping us here in the States when we wanted to be overseas instead. He has given us this time to learn to be good parents and set a foundation for the rest of life with our children.

To give you a brief rundown of the past year, we went to our Candidate Week at OM and at the end of that week they decided not to accept us. We've never been given any specific reason why they decided so, but we just took it as from the Lord that He had some other plan for us. The following week, we went to Cornerstone for Missions Conference and spent time with Paul and Leah Manyara about their ministry at Moffat Bible College. After some discussion with them and much time in prayer, we contacted Moffat about our desire to move to Kenya and join in their ministry. For three months, we were in contact with the Manyaras, the academic dean, and the principal. They said that they would love to have us come, so we then contacted AIM and began applying to serve with them. We've been in that process since September and are now in the final application stage with them. After Candidate Week, we are planning to go to Cornerstone's Missions Conference again.

During our time here in Aiken, I've begun seminary classes and am working towards a Masters Degree in Theology. After I complete that I plan to study further for a Master of Divinity degree. I am learning much and thoroughly enjoying my classes. I know that everything I am learning will further equip me to teach at Moffat and aid me in any other ministry the Lord presents us with. The Lord also provided for us to pay the entire cost for my classes upfront, without going into debt or making monthly payments. I have also been involved in the music ministry here at Millbrook, our other supporting church, by singing in choir, praise team, special music, and occasionally playing in the orchestra. Abby has volunteered to be the director of the young girls ministry (GA's) and has been doing an excellent job, from everything I am hearing. It has been nice to be involved in the ministry here, even while waiting for the Lord to direct us elsewhere.

To all of our Cornerstone friends, we are so looking forward to seeing you again. We also plan to stay for some extra time apart from the conference and would like to get together with as many of you individually as we can. Lord-willing, we will be making plans for moving to Africa by then and we would love to sit down and share with you personally more details on what we will be doing. We've been away from Cornerstone for a long time now and I can't tell you how much we miss our church family there.

As we go to Candidate Week, the cost for our time there will be $1500, which we have been trying to save up for out of our past month's support money. If any of you feel led of God to help us with that cost, our monthly support is still being sent through Cornerstone and you may send any gifts to them with a separate note designating it for our support.

God bless you all as you continue in faithfulness to Him. We love you and can't wait to catch up with you soon!

- Jonathan, Abby & Kyle St.Clair

St.Clair Family Update

2011-04-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,
It has been some time since we've updated you on our plans. Mostly
that is because we have just been waiting and praying through them as
well. The Lord is still in the process of leading and guiding us into
exactly what our future will be, but we believe He has made our next
step clear to us.

Our life has been very exciting over the past months. On March 2nd, we
welcomed our first child into the world. Kyle Brinson St.Clair was
born at 11:00 AM and weighed 7lb. 9oz. We are so grateful to the Lord
for him! He does make life so much sweeter. Yes, we're getting less
sleep and going through a load of diapers, but it's all worth it. He
is such a special blessing. It is a sobering responsibility to be
entrusted with the life of another human being, another soul who will
spend eternity somewhere someday. I'm certain that we will go through
difficult times in raising our new son, but the Lord will get us
through them.

I don't want to tell all of this without sharing a huge answer to
prayer. Humanly speaking this was a very difficult time for us to be
expecting. We had planned to be out of the country when we had our
children. We had worked a medical account into our budget that would
be sufficient to cover maternity costs anywhere else. We had
international medical insurance in case we needed it. But the Lord led
us to be back in the States right at the time the baby would be
coming. So we prayed and planned and tried everything we could to get
medical insurance, financial coverage, or anything we could to save us
from spending everything we have. We are and have been debt-free for
our entire lives and know that debt is one of the biggest hindrances
in getting missionaries to the field. We didn't want to be stuck with
some huge medical bills that would prevent us from leaving the country
again and returning to the ministry God has called us to. We are happy
to report that all of the hospital bills have been covered. Abby was
covered by her dad's medical insurance. Kyle had a healthy birth with
no complications and has been growing healthily ever since. We are so
grateful to God for providing for us and taking care of our baby.

In the meantime, our plans have been developing with Operation
Mobilization. We have been officially accepted and will be attending
their Outbound training in Atlanta at the beginning of May. Outbound
is a week long training conference for all new OM missionaries. We'll
be having different meetings with the OMUSA staff and going through
their policies and procedures, learning how they operate as a mission
board. We'll also be meeting with their placement representatives for
the many different ministries that OM is doing around the world. Abby
and I are really looking forward to this time and praying that the
Lord will use it in our lives to confirm His plans for us. At this
point, we really have no idea what those plans will entail other than
that they'll be through OM. Initially, we were looking at a position
they needed in Spain to serve as an assistant pastor with another
couple in a needy area. Since that time, we've learned that a couple
from the Ukraine has come on board with OM and will be filling that
position in Spain. That is one of the things I like so much about
Operation Mobilization. It is truly a global organization where
believers from all over the world are working together to fulfill the
Great Commission. So we really have no idea where the Lord will end up
taking us. There are a few opportunities with OM in other
Spanish-speaking countries, but we may just end up learning another
language, too. Only God knows.

After our Outbound training is done, we will be driving up to Illinois
to attend Cornerstone's missions conference. We are so excited to be
able to see our CBC family again and let all of them meet Kyle, too!
It is always a blessing to be around Cornerstone people. Then we'll
come back here to Aiken and begin raising support again until we are
able to move overseas. I know that these plans will be constantly
changing, so we will be sure to update everyone as we get further
information.

We love all of you very much and thank you for your continued support
and prayers for us. God is certainly working in our lives and we are
excited about our future. May the Lord richly bless you all!

With much love,
Jonathan and Abby and Kyle St.Clair

January Update

2011-01-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,
We wish you all a very happy new year from Aiken, South Carolina. 2010 was a very exciting year for us following the Lord's plans to Mexico and serving Him there in every way we could. As 2011 begins, it's hard to imagine just what all this year might bring our way. We're excited about the birth of our first child in about 7 weeks, if the Lord wills. We're anticipating preparations to move to Europe, if the Lord wills. And we're settling into the South for a few months, looking for ways to serve the Lord here, for as long as He wills. We're writing now to update you on our life and ministry.

Although we're not exactly anticipating a "normal" life, Abby and I have noted that now is the most settled time we've had since our wedding in May of 2009. I think, too, that it will be good for Abby to have a place where she can settle in, have the baby, and learn to adjust to new-parent life. We've rented a small apartment here in Aiken for the next several months and we're only about a mile from her parents house so she's able to be close to family for this special time. She's been a busy little bee getting the baby's room all painted and decorated while working with a very small budget and borrowing as much furniture and accessories as she can. For all of you who follow her blog, I'm sure you'll see lots of pictures and posts going up in the next several weeks!

I am very thankful to have been able to find a job here in town. I was unsure if many places would be willing to hire me, knowing we plan to be here for less than a year. I also wanted a job that would allow me much time at home to be with Abby and Kyle, but still give me enough hours to provide for the medical bills we'll have coming up soon. I won't take a job where I have to work Sundays and my conscience won't allow me a job where I could be serving alcohol. So the Lord provided me a job at the Chick-fil-A here in town. It is really a perfect fit! For any of you in the North who don't know what Chick-fil-A is, they are a Christian-owned company (the inventors of the chicken sandwich, in fact!) whose stated corporate purpose is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A" (Try finding a statement like that from McDonalds or Burger King!). Obviously, this doesn't mean that everyone I work with is a Christian or even goes to church (though most I've met so far do). But the fact that this company is run on Christian ethics and principles makes us distinctly different. Seriously, customers ask us why we're different than everyone else. We promote things to our employees like "Second-Mile Service" (Matthew 5) to go beyond the normal service of fast-food restaurants. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays to allow people to be with family and attend church. I am glad to be able to serve in a company like this to help provide for my family during this time.

For our ministry plans, here is where we stand. Our applications with Operation Mobilization have been approved. We are now in the process of assessment and placement. The OM staff has contacted the team in Spain and told them of our interest and plans to join them. Hopefully, we will be able to get in touch with them personally and begin finding out more about that ministry we intend to pursue. Once this part of the process is complete, we will go to Atlanta for a week of Outbound training after the baby is born. From there, we will be planning a vision trip to Spain to meet the team, visit the ministry there, and learn how we will be involved. There may be some additional training or meetings overseas for us, but I'm not sure what those will be yet. Then as I said in the last update, OM sends out their new missionaries in August and in January. We will likely need to do some more support-raising because of the higher cost of living in Europe compared to Mexico. If that support is brought in by August, we could move then. Otherwise, we would continue raising support until January.

For the time being, we are still running our financial support through Cornerstone, our home church, and not OM yet. When that changes, we will be sure to let all of you know the details on how to send your contributions through OM, etc. My job here in town is really just to supplement our income because of the hospital bills we'll have and because our support budget that we lived on in Mexico isn't enough to live on here in the USA. So we are very grateful to those of you who support us financially to allow us to be here for this time.

Lastly, for all of you who are a part of our prayer support team, I pray that this update will let you know where we are, what our prayer needs are now, and what our requests are concerning the future. We pray also for you and if any of you have specific requests that we could keep in mind, please email me at jonstclair14@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook and we will pray for you as well. Thank you so much for your partnership in our ministry. May God bless you all and richly repay you for your faithfulness to Him and your investments in us.

We love you all!

- Jonathan and Abby (and Kyle!)

December Update

2010-12-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

After several months of praying, waiting, and planning, we are finally able to update all of you on what the Lord has been doing in our lives and where He is leading us for the future. As we've already written, we came home from Mexico at the end of August and have been traveling to various places around the States. We had a very blessed time in Mexico serving the Lord with Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama and ministering to various other churches and villages. Through our time there, the Lord taught us many things and, we believe, began preparing us for the ministry He has for us in the future.

During our time in Mexico, the Lord began to really shake up our plans for the future and put us in a place where we had to fully trust Him and simply walk day by day following what He showed us. In May, our home church contacted us by email and asked us to pray about coming back to Illinois and serving full-time as pastoral staff. Obviously, this was quite a shock to us and would involve a drastic change of plans, but it was only asked that we pray about it. So we did. There were several questions we wrestled through before God. Did He really want us to leave the mission field and go back to the States? Was there no one else to fill the position at Cornerstone? Are we abandoning the billions of people who have yet to hear the gospel? Or would we be better able to reach them by being a strong support and a voice for them from the US, financially backing native missionaries who were going to the unreached areas of the world? As we prayed through these things, we both agreed that we only want to follow the Lord's plans for us - and He had brought this about; we did not pursue it ourselves. We would not want to stay in missions if the Lord wanted us serving in Illinois, nor would we want to move back to America if the Lord wanted on the other side of the earth. So we determined that we would follow up on this opportunity, trusting that the Lord would close the door if He did not intend for us to walk through it.

Thus, for the past three months, we have been communicating with the deacons and elders of Cornerstone, visiting twice for interviews, spending much time in prayer, and waiting for the Lord to make His will clear to us. We have been trusting that if the Lord wants us to come back, He will make it perfectly clear. That is how He has always operated in our lives. Each time we have had to make a major life decision, all of our spiritual counselors, our authority structure, our parents, and everyone involved in the decision-making process has been in agreement and confirmed what we felt the Lord wanted us doing. There has always been a clear peace - that sometimes passes understanding - when we were following the Lord's will. So after much time and prayer spent on this decision, we don't collectively have that peace. We feel, therefore, that God is closing this door.

So here is where we stand now. Our most immediate plans are to make preparations for our son to be born near the end of February. We will be moving down to Aiken, South Carolina - where Abby's family lives and our other supporting church, Millbrook Baptist, meets - until the baby is born. We plan to rent an apartment for a few months and though we're still living on support, I plan to find some short-term work to supply for the extra financial needs we'll have for hospitals and doctors, etc. As far as ministry goes, we do still feel that the Lord is leading us away from Mexico and Central America. There are a number of reasons for that - the main being the shortage of unreached people and the surplus of missionaries trying to reach them. We have put in applications to Operation Mobilization and are in contact with their placement staff concerning a need they have in Spain for an assistant pastor in an area with no other gospel witness. We are just in the opening stages of this process with them and, in truth, we really have no idea where the Lord will place us. Spain obviously caught our attention because we can both speak Spanish. But we are honestly willing to go anywhere the Lord leads. It is always exciting to follow the Lord! Yes, it requires much faith and involves a lot of uncertainty, but we love knowing that He is in control and will work out His plans for us.

For any who don't know, Operation Mobilization is an independent mission board which has been sending out missionaries all over the world for many years, whose goal is to mobilize the church to reach the last unreached areas and unreached people groups of our world with the gospel. They oversee the technical operations of missionaries, manage their financial situations, and handle the international paperwork. They do not finance their missionaries, as the International Missions Board does. Each missionary family is responsible to raise their support from supporting churches and individuals. If the Lord does indeed lead us overseas, we may need to do some more support raising, as the cost of living is higher in Europe than in Mexico, but we will let you know that when we have more information on our financial needs. OM's USA base is in Atlanta, Georgia, so will be able to travel there easily from Aiken for meetings, stateside training, etc. over the next several months. They commission and send out their new missionaries in August and in January. So if our finances are raised, we could move overseas in August; if it requires more time, we wouldn't be leaving at least until January.

Most of all, we covet your prayers. As we live in Aiken, we plan to continue ministering to Spanish-speakers and other needy people by volunteering at Christ Central Ministries. And we look forward to being able to be involved in the ministries of Millbrook as well. We thank you also for your faithful support over this past year. You have enabled us to follow the Lord's leading and, we pray, impact many lives for the kingdom of God. Please be praying for wisdom as we move through this process and for Abby as she carries our son for a few more months. We'll keep you all posted on our lives and plans as they progress. God bless you all!

- Jonathan and Abby St.Clair

Lessons from Mexico

2010-10-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Well, our time of training in Mexico is completed. Abby and I are back in the States, visiting family in South Carolina and Georgia. Looking back over this past year and everything the Lord has done in our lives since January, we expect it will take some time for us to fully process everything we've learned. But we would like to take some time to write down a few of those lessons and share them with all of you who have supported us, followed us, and prayed for us.

Some lessons we learned in Mexico:
1. God's plans are not the same as our plans, but His are better.
2. God always provides for His children, even above and beyond.
3. We take so many things for granted here in the USA.
4. God's work will always be accomplished
5. We answer to God alone for what we do with our lives.
6. God does everything in His own perfect timing.

1. God had a much different plan for us than we had for ourselves when we moved to Mexico in January.We expected to be going to a missions training school in the Yucatan to live and work with American missionaries while we would study Spanish, help in the ministry, and assist visiting groups from the States. What God had planned was much different. It's no news to anyone that Mexico has had an explosion of problems in the past couple of years. Between the swine flu scare, the violence of drug cartels, and the US economic recession, activity at the mission has dwindled. We never took any formal Spanish classes. We did assist with a few groups, I believe three over the 9 months. During most of our time, we were the only Americans at the mission. In essence, our plans never happened.

But God's plan for us was so much better. The first Sunday we were there, we went to church with the Mexican couple we lived and worked most directly with. Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama is the place that the Lord was sending us for our training. These people were incredible. The church was begun, continued, and fully funded by nationals. Pastor Martin started the church 9 years ago, discipled the first believers, raised up the church leadership, and is now sending out missionaries from their congregation to other parts of Mexico to continue reaching the unreached areas of the country. We got plugged in immediately with this church, helping out in the praise team, preaching one Sunday, translating the sermon for an American group that visited us, working with the children during VBS, teaching in a village discipleship program every Saturday, attending midweek Bible study, going on a church missions trip to central Mexico, and playing on the church soccer team.

The church people were such a blessing to us! They were very patient with us, as we would sit around talking with them, asking questions, and trying to learn Spanish. They gave us opportunities to minister and they ministered to us in the meantime. They invited us to their homes for dinner. They let us work with their children and lead songs and teach Bible lessons. We did get the training that we needed; it just didn't come like we were expecting it. God's plans were not our plans, but His were much better.

- ‎"God will insure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine." - Francis Chan, Crazy Love

2. A second lesson that we learned, or rather re-learned, was that God always provides for our needs. As anyone who has ever lived on financial support will tell you, it can be difficult at times. Each month your income is different - sometimes it is higher than normal, sometimes lower. Obviously, it is not difficult in a month where you receive a higher check, but you must still live as frugally as possible in case the next month is lower. It requires faith and then stretches that faith farther than you thought it could be stretched. At times, I battled the thought that I was not being a responsible husband. I thought, "It's one thing to live like this by myself, but now I'm supposed to be providing for my wife." But God was always faithful to us. We always had our needs met.

In addition, we had excess at times. And the Lord taught how we are to be channels through which He can work and provide for others. In months where we had more than we needed, we would try to discern if the extra was for us to save for a coming low month or for us to pass on and meet needs for somebody else. We learned and can testify to what the Bible says: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Our slogan became, "You can never give too much." It was such a joy to be able to give much more than we would have thought possible, living as missionaries. For example, when Cristo Te Ama planned the missions trip to central Mexico, Pastor Martin encouraged people to sign up for the trip even if they weren't sure they would be able to afford the average cost of $80 per person. So through the support of our friends in the States, we were able to give an extra portion of the money needed for the trip, allowing people to go who wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. We learned that God always provides for His children, even more than we need.

3. Life's difficulties showed us how much we take for granted here in the USA. This is probably not a surprise, certainly not to anyone who has ever been on a foreign missions trip. I would say this is the number one thing I hear from people after returning from a foreign country: "I never realized how good we have it in America." To be clear, I am speaking of purely financial and material things. I have come to believe that, in most cases, believers in other countries have a much better spiritual life than we do in America. There are some things you just can't learn without going through hardship and spiritual persecution. We don't have that advantage here in the USA. But speaking in physical terms, life in America is unbelievably easier to live. Our degree of wealth and comfort is truly unimaginable to most Mexicans. The conveniences that we don't even think of are not enjoyed by most of the world.

A month or so ago, Abby wrote a very detailed and humorous account of some of the little things we so often took for granted. Instead of rewriting all of that, I'll just post the link to her blog so you can all read it for yourselves. http://abbymtstclair.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-in-life.html This was the third lesson we learned: We take much for granted here in the States.

4. The fourth lesson we learned was really just seeing firsthand what we already knew to be true. That is that God is sovereign. He is in control of everything that takes place in this world and He orchestrates it all together - the evil and the good - to accomplish His predetermined plan of redeeming a bride for His Son from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation in the world. The Bible teaches that clearly. But I think sometimes, when it comes to missions, we tend to think or operate as if the cause of global missions is doomed to failure without the involvement of the United States, our great "Christian" nation. We think our finances are the only hope of supporting the world's missionaries. We think our influence and training are the only method capable of raising up native pastors, missionaries, and churches. This belief is untrue. God does not need us Americans; He will accomplish His will. What we do have, more than any other nation, is the capability of surrendering our finances, our time, and our resources to be involved in God's purposes which He is accomplishing around the world.

We learned this lesson through the life of a man named, Jorge Patron Flores. Jorge was one of the church leaders, though not a deacon or pastor. He led the music with the praise team. He had taught the youth group at one point. He worked as a taxi driver for several years before he became a Christian. Shortly thereafter, he felt he could no longer work in that lucrative job, because of the rampant drug use and immorality by the many tourists and vacationers he would drive around town. So he got another job working nearly 50 hours a week as a groundskeeper of a golf course for a minimal salary. He was constantly sacrificial with his time, going to the village discipleship every Saturday in spite of his exhausting work schedule. He always maintained a joyful spirit and a true desire to serve the Lord. Soon after we began to serve alongside him in the church, Jorge told me that he and his wife felt that the Lord wanted them to serve in full-time ministry sometime in the future. He didn't know whether that would be as a missionary or a pastor or church planter, but told me that both of their hearts were ready to serve the Lord as their career.

In July, both Jorge and his wife Celene went on the missions trip to Campo Mazahua in the central state of Mexico. During that trip, the Lord used Jorge in a special way to help spread the gospel to the nearby towns, disciple one of the believers in the church, and lead several young people to salvation in Christ. As we prepared to leave and go back home, Jorge shared with our whole church group that he never knew the Lord would use him in such a special way. The church there was without a pastor and people were praying as we left that the Lord would raise up a pastor for them. The Saturday after we got back, Jorge shared with me that he and Celene believed the Lord was leading them to go back to Mazahua as missionaries. He told Pastor Martin who heartily agreed. Pastor had told me months before, "I really like that guy. He is a good Christian. I believe God has a big plan for him." So Jorge and Celene are now in the process of planning and preparing to pack up their lives and move to another part of the country to serve the Lord in missions.

America had nothing to do with God's call on Pastor Martin. The U.S. didn't fund the planting of Cristo Te Ama. America didn't take the gospel to Jorge Patron. We Americans didn't commission Jorge to leave for Mazahua. This is how we saw in life what Jesus said: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." We saw that God doesn't need us. He will do His work and accomplish His plans through somebody. And we can make ourselves available to be that somebody!

5. Fifthly, we learned that we answer to God for our lives. This is both a comfort and a challenge at times. The comfort is that this leaves us alone before God as a family to prayerfully decide what we believe the Lord wants from our lives. It requires much prayer and patience, along with a genuine willingness to do anything He leads us to do. But it is also a challenge because the people around you won't always see things the same way you do. There have been some people around us who thought we were crazy to leave our home country and go to a place where we could be in much greater danger of physical harm, much less discomfort. Others questioned where we should go on the mission field, whom we should work with, and how we should minister.

This lesson, I had seen played out in my own parents' lives. There will always be naysayers and it is not our job to defend our reputation or be overly concerned about what people think of us. As Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Each one of us will answer to God one day for the way we lived our lives and how we followed His direction to us. We are answerable directly to Him for our lives.

6. Finally, we learned that God's timing is not our timing. If any of you read our initial blog entries or our support letter, you'll remember that our plan was to spend almost a year in Mexico for missions training and then go on to wherever the Lord wants us full-time. Well, here we are at the end of that time, and we are still waiting for the Lord to make clear His plans for us. Throughout the year, the Lord has presented us with different ministry possibilities for our future. With each one, we have prayed through it and then fully pursued, until we felt that the Lord was closing that door. Right now, there are a couple more open doors that we are praying about and pursuing, trusting still that the Lord will lead us into the right one.

In all of our lives, God lead us one step at a time. There is a reason the Lord says that His word is a "lamp" unto our feet, not a "floodlight" unto our path. As we take every step that the lamp illumines, the light shines another step further. Someone has said that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. We know that will be true in our lives as well.

We want to conclude with a big "Thank You" to all of you who have supported us financially, upheld us in prayer, and kept up with us through our time in Mexico. You have enabled us to serve the Lord this year and to learn and grow into who He wants us to be. We pray that the Lord will bless each of you in your lives and repay and reward you for being such a blessing to us. We love you all and will share more of our lives as soon as we are able. Stay faithful to Jesus!

- Jonathan & Abby

Central Mexico Missions Trip

2010-07-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
We'd like to begin by thanking all of you for your prayers. In our last update, we told you that we'd be taking a missions trip to central Mexico with our church and asked you to be praying. God did indeed work in a very powerful way on this trip and so we wanted to share that with all of you who were praying, so that you can hear the answers that the Lord sent to your prayers.

First of all, the Lord did provide for the many people who were wanting to go on the trip, but didn't have the money yet. I heard of four people specifically share a testimony of how the Lord provided their $1000 pesos that they didn't have at the time they signed up. I'm sure there were more than those 4, but at least them. We took some food with us for the trip and some was provided by the church there. I was reminded of what Jesus said of the widow in the temple, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." The people of Mazahua were very poor, yet they gave abundantly to provide for the needs of this group of 30+ people. Like the churches in Macedonia, "...in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord..." They were truly a blessing to us!

The trip was over 30 hours long, and we passed the time in the bus in fellowship, singing, reading, praying, eating, and sleeping. We rented a bus to take the group which was a much better plan than our initial plan of driving a caravan of vehicles. The trip was to Iglesia Bautista Esmirna in Campo Mazahua, Mexico. The church was started by our pastor here at Cristo Te Ama, Pastor Martin Lemus, while he was in seminary or immediately after. The town is about an hour northwest of Toluca, the capital city of the state of Mexico. It was a small village spread out over various hills and valleys. The area was very pretty, with lots of flowers, fruits, rivers, animals, and houses. It rained quite a lot - ironic, because we had thought the name was "Campo Mas Agua" or "Field of More Water".

The purposes of our trip was threefold - VBS (or Escuela Biblica de Vacaciones), evangelism, and discipleship. The VBS program that we did was the same that we taught at Cristo Te Ama the previous week. The evangelism was, obviously, for the purpose of spreading the gospel, growing the church, and reaching the lost. The discipleship was a specific need of the church, as they are without a pastor and have been heavily influenced by a lot of false teachings coming out of the USA and Canada. Pastor Martin was concerned that this church he had begun would carry on in sound doctrine and be rooted in the Word. I believe it was this area that sparked the interest in making this trip in the first place.

The VBS program we did was called "Vuela Mas Alto" based on Isaiah 40:31. The theme was wisdom from on high and every day we spent time teaching the kids lessons about wisdom, using the stories of Daniel and his three companions. I worked with the 7-9 year old class for both weeks and on this trip our class teacher, Dora, was not able to come, so I had the opportunity to teach the class all 5 days. I was grateful the Lord got me through it, as it's not easy to teach in another language without much time to prepare. We had a great time with the children and I really do feel that our kids were able to learn more of the Bible and grow spiritually during the course of the week. At the beginning, they just came to have fun, get a snack, and play soccer, but by the end of the week, they would show up with their Bible verse of the day memorized, remembering last week's Bible story, and ready to hear this week's. I was very grateful for Karla, Diannis, Karina, and Ixtzul for helping me out with the kids throughout the week.

After VBS was finished in the morning, the group was divided in the afternoon between evangelism groups and discipleship groups. On different days, I went with both groups. The evangelism was door-to-door, knocking, avoiding dogs, inviting people to the church, and sharing the gospel. One or two people would go to the door to talk while one or two would stay nearby and pray for them. Every day of the trip, at least one group would come back saying that someone had prayed to receive Christ. And most of the time, we would see those same people at the church later throughout the week. Each day the groups would go a different direction and visit different houses until on the last few days, they actually had to drive further out, because every house nearby had been visited. Each night, we also had an evangelistic service. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, one of us from Cristo Te Ama would preach a gospel sermon and on Tuesday and Thursday, we would show a gospel film and Pastor would give an invitation afterwards. I preached on Monday night of the hope of our salvation. Afterwards, I gave an invitation for people to come forward and talk to someone rather than my leading them in a prayer. One young woman came forward and talked to Marta. Afterwards, Marta told me that she had received Christ and would be bringing her husband the next day. The next day, her husband was saved after the video. The following day, some of our church people went to visit them to follow up. The next day, that couple came to our evening devotional and shared their testimony of salvation and thanked God for keeping them together through the difficult times and now saving them. The man had had problems with alcohol and testified of his commitment to change. He said, "I don't know if any of you have lived the type of life that I lived up until yesterday, but it is a hard life and I'm grateful to God for rescuing me from it."

While the groups were out evangelizing, the church people of Esmirna would meet with some from Cristo Te Ama for discipleship. Pastor Martin led a time of collective teaching for the church leaders and deacons. He focused on areas of doctrine that had been in question from the teachings coming out of the US and Canada. He had prepared some lessons on key areas as well as having time for questions leading into further Bible study and spiritual growth. I couldn't help but pity these believers, as Jesus had pity on the multitudes who were "as sheep without a shepherd". Without someone to care for the spiritual well-being of the flock, certainly the wolves of the false teachers will come in, "not sparing the flock." As Pastor led the church leaders, several others met one-on-one with people to personally disciple them in their walk with the Lord. And the people from Esmirna were committed to being discipled. You can see that this man is quite old, but he came faithfully to learn, as did another woman who was over 70 years old - every day she was there! It was so neat to see these people fulfilling the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of every nation".

I have to share one more story and then I'll finish this off. The man in the picture above is Jorge Patron Flores, one of our dear friends at Cristo Te Ama. One day he was waiting for this man to show up so he could disciple him, but the man was late. As he was waiting, there was a teenager standing outside the church building. Jorge felt the Lord leading him to talk to him. As he did, he shared the gospel with him and the young man accepted Christ. Shortly after, Jorge's disciple showed up and they met for their time together. Jorge said when he got back outside, there was a line waiting for him. The teenager who had just been saved had gone home to get his brothers and sisters to hear about Jesus. They, too, received Christ! Jorge was moved to tears as he shared the story with us that evening. We truly serve an amazing God and we are privileged to be in His work, allowing Him to work through us!

"To God be the glory, great things He has done!"

June Update

2010-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Today officially marks the longest amount of time that either Abby or myself have been out of the United States. We do miss a lot of things about being in the States, typically the small things that we never even thought about in the States, but we are truly enjoying serving the Lord, waiting on Him, watching Him work, and taking opportunities He gives us to minister. We've had a variety of different ministry opportunities and even some new ones this past week. We'd like to update all of you who are having such a vital role in our lives through your prayers and finances.

Visiting: May 16th marked our first wedding anniversary! It is so amazing to look back and see how much the Lord has done in our lives this year. He has directed and provided for us, taught and corrected me, and grown and stretched us. I do believe that we are closer to the Lord and closer to each other than we were at this time last year. I pray that every year this will be true! For the week of our anniversary, Abby's parents flew down here to visit with us, take a relaxing weekend in a hotel, and share in ministry with us here in the Yucatan. It was really neat that they, as a part of our financial support team, were able to come visit the people and church and villages that they've directly invested money in as the Lord led.

Preaching: On Sunday, the 23rd, I was able to preach my third sermon in Spanish during the evening service at Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama. I had planned initially to preach the same Spanish sermon I'd prepared in Jimenez in 2008 on the Great Commission. But in response to the spiritual climate we've sensed here in Cancun, the Lord led me instead to preach on the book of Jude and the need to "contend for the faith" in the midst of a postmodern culture of religious superstition, doctrinal confusion, and biblical skepticism. This area abounds with churches, but as we've visited, discussed, and observed many of them, we've found that the majority of them are weak, uneducated, corrupt, cultist, or floundering with no theological or doctrinal certainty and blown around with every new wind of teaching, healing, or miracles. To the contrary, Jesus Loves You Baptist Church, founded and pastored by Martin Lemus Patiño, is a solid, Bible-teaching body of believers who study and teach the Word every day of the week. They are based on Christ, the Solid Rock. I pray the sermon was an encouragement to them and to Pastor Martin as well as a wake-up call to confront the culture of confusion with the truth of God's Word.

Serving: This week we received another special blessing in the form of a ministry opportunity. We had a couple of college students come to visit us for the week with a desire to spend some time with orphans. So we got online to look for orphanages here in Cancun. First of all, for a city of over 750,000, there aren't nearly enough! Second, we drove to find those couple of orphanages we had seen online. One that we found is "Casa Hogar Esperanza" (The Hope Home) run by Pastor Asencio and his wife Esther. They began the orphanage in 1993 when a woman left her child on their doorstep. Today they have 19 orphans, ages 3-18 who live with them. The next we visited was called "La Casita" and is an institution for helping children, teenagers, and single moms who have come out of abusive situations. They have about 80 people living with them as they care for their needs, help the moms find jobs, and legally fight for the rights of the abused. Over the past week, we've gone to each of these orphanages twice and just spent time playing with the children. We played basketball, soccer, kickball (or "foot-base" as they call it), tag, soccer, coloring, making bracelets, soccer, baseball, and soccer! We actually kept playing soccer until one of the boys kicked the ball over the huge wall into a neighborhood and we never saw it again! Then we also visited an elementary school where a lady from our church teaches special needs children - anything from Down's Syndrome to autism, learning disability, crippled, blind, deaf or hard of hearing, any special need. We came to the end of the week very physically exhausted, but internally refreshed by spending time with such sweet children.

But there is not really time to rest up just yet. Tomorrow morning, Abby, Brad, and I are flying to Monterrey, Mexico to visit with a ministry that the Lord has introduced us to that also serves orphans. The ministry is called Back 2 Back Ministries and we met them about 3 months ago through some really neat God-directed circumstances. They are praying about beginning a new ministry center for orphans here in Cancun in the near future and invited us to come up and see what they do in their ministry. So we'll be there from June 3rd-8th and then come back down here again. After that, it looks like things will slow down for a few weeks before July.

In July, we're looking forward to having our first official visitors from Cornerstone! A couple of girls from the youth group, Kristi Fanning and Brittney Beal, are coming to visit us for a week and join us in ministry to experience it first-hand. We're really excited to have some familiar faces around here and get caught up with old friends and new. Then in the middle of July, we have another very exciting adventure planned! We will be driving with a group from the church to Mexico City for a missions trip. In fact, if anyone is looking for an opportunity to help out with a financial need, here it is:

>>> FINANCIAL GIVING OPPORTUNITY <<<

From July 17th-25th a group of 25-30 members of Cristo Te Ama will be taking a missions trip to Campo Mas Agua near Mexico City. Sunday night we had a meeting about the trip and got the details laid down. The estimated cost of the total trip is about 35,000 pesos - or $3,000 USD. That's gas, food, lodging for all 30 people for a week. Abby and I offered to pay a portion of that and another man in the church offered to pay another portion. Pastor Martin's sermon on Sunday was about missions work and he encouraged everyone to be involved in the trip - either by going or by helping someone else go. If any of you, our brothers and sisters in the States, would like to help out some of the people who have signed up for this trip and are trusting God to bring in the money, you may send the money to us through Cornerstone and we will put it all towards the cost of this trip. We don't want to pressure you, but do want you to have the opportunity to be a part of this trip and its crucial role in the life of this church. This is the furthest missions trip the church has taken in its 12 year history and one day, Pastor Martin wants to take the church to a foreign country to minister and share the gospel as well.

If you want to contribute to this missions trip, please send your check to Cornerstone Baptist Church c/o Jonathan & Abby St.Clair and mark it specifically for "Campo Mas Agua Trip". This will keep us from confusing it with our normal financial support. Also, if you are already one of our regular financial supporters and would like to give to the trip but prefer to write a single check, please just mark how much of your gift you want to designate for the trip.

Thank you again for your faithfulness to the Lord and your support of our ministry. We are grateful to God for you all!

God Takes Care of His Children

2010-04-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

As a young "rookie" missionary, I am trying to learn everything I can about mission work. One drawback about the way that my life has unfolded is that I was not pursuing a life as a missionary until after college, two years into the youth ministry that the Lord had led me into up to that point. Thus, I haven't had the advantage of studying missions and cross-cultural ministries at the university level. While I say this is a drawback, I don't mean to imply that it is some sort of "planning error" on God's part. Rather, we are learning from our own experiences, interaction with other missionaries, and independent study. I wanted to share a bit of this with all of you.

Independent studies - I am so grateful to God for Amazon.com producing digital reading through Kindle books. When we flew down here in January, I had to limit the number of books I could bring because of airline weight limits (I think my carry-on was actually heavier than my suitcase). While any thorough study of a subject should include a wide reading selection of several different authors, I would be confident enough to say that when it comes to biblical missions theology, one need read nothing more than John Piper's "Let the Nations Be Glad". It provides such a comprehensive view of biblical passages on the spread of the gospel as to make additional reading superfluous. I recommend it to anyone preparing for the mission field or wanting a biblical overview of missions. And I'm not even finished with it yet!

Interaction with other missionaries - We've had the opportunity to meet and work with several different missionaries here and we want to learn everything we can from them - to learn from both their successes and their mistakes. Some missionaries see their responsibility as providing people with homes, food, clothes, and generally a better life. Others see their responsibility as evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. Still others see their responsibility as caring for and raising orphans and serving those whom nobody else is reaching. We are learning from all of them.

Our own experiences - We certainly are learning from everything the Lord is taking us through. I want to share one of these lessons with all of you. This was actually what prompted me to write all of this in the first place.

The longer we're here, the more painfully evident it becomes that we are rare. What I mean is that there are not many other missionaries our age nor at our stage in life. I constantly find myself wondering what the problem is and how we could be used to encourage more young couples to get involved in missions at the beginning of their lives while they have so much time left to learn and grow. One of the problems, I have come to believe, is fear. "What if we people don't support us? What kind of things will we have to give up in order to serve God? What if we can't learn another language?" May I share what we have seen and are learning?

First of all, in order to surrender your life to missions, yes, I believe you must be willing to give up some things. But if you have an eternal perspective, that really won't be difficult. To give up earthly possessions or riches for eternal rewards and riches is not a sacrifice by any stretch of the imagination. As Jim Elliot so aptly said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

BUT! Having said all of that, let me tell you what we have learned on this side of the equation. God takes care of His children!

While we are willing to give up anything to follow God's will for us, we are finding that often we don't have to. The Lord always provides everything we need and even abundantly more, even to things we don't need. For example, the question about learning the language: When I started studying Spanish because I felt the Lord was leading me to Mexico, I was able within 8 months to speak well enough to preach and witness one-on-one. When we moved here in January, everyone was asking how well Abby would pick up on Spanish. Well she is! I keep hearing from the ladies in the church that Abby is learning Spanish rapidissimo (super fast!). Ricardo tells us, "Every day your Spanish is better." The question of financial provision: While our financial support is slightly up or down every month, we have all the money we need at the time. In a month where money seems low, we find we have fewer expenses or someone gives us a special gift. In a month where it's high, we find ourselves taking a 2,000+ mile two-week adventure or we find an opportunity to give the extra money away to meet someone else's need. That's why we want to share with everyone - God takes care of His children.

In addition, God gives us opportunities we couldn't even imagine. One happened yesterday. Two of the men that we serve with in Jesus Loves You Baptist Church work at a golf course. So they offered to take Brad and me golfing after the morning service. So we drove 6 kilometers north of town to Playa Mujeres and stepped onto the most beautiful golf course I've ever seen! I didn't realize they worked at Greg Norman's signature golf course, designed by himself. We played for 5 hours, 13 holes, with the clubs the course usually rents out to tourists, riding two golf carts - all for free! I played horribly. But I just kept riding around the course admiring the beauty and thinking about how the Lord blesses us and beyond. I'm telling you all, God takes care of His children! Oh and even the 6-foot crocodile in the fairway of the 18th hole didn't bother us :o)

If there is anyone reading this who feels the Lord leading them to the mission field or into a situation where you feel you might be financially unstable, please hear our testimony. Take the risk! Follow God. Prove your faith with your actions. Test God. There is only one time in the Bible where we are told to test God and it is in relation to finances (tithing specifically). Be encouraged and watch God open the floodgates of blessing from heaven. He always takes care of His children!

Chiapas Trip - April Update

2010-04-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
The last month has sure been a busy one for us. We arrive at the middle of April exhausted, yet very blessed at the same time - a feeling I'm sure many people in ministry can identify with!

The month of March began with our trip back to the States for the Global Impact Celebration at Millbrook Baptist Church, one of our supporting churches, in Aiken, SC. That week was certainly one of the most refreshing and encouraging times we've had since beginning the process of getting onto the mission field in October of 2008. Its only equal would be Cornerstone's Missions Conference in 2009, but Abby and I weren't able to attend that together.

In my last post, I wrote "Abby and I will get to minister with the young married's class throughout the conference." But after being there, I'm not sure if that was the case or not. I certainly hope that we were able to minister to them, but I must say that it was they who were a ministry to us. We not only spent a good amount of time with them as a group, but also individually with several different couples within the class. And at the end of the week, they presented us with an enormous amount of gifts, ministry supplies, and financial support that help us for a long time to come! We can't thank them enough and are grateful to God for people like them who support and care for us.

We then returned to Mexico, this time with Abby's brother, Bradley. He is coming down here to work with us for several months because he believes that the Lord is also leading him to be a full-time missionary. It has been really neat already to see him seek the Lord's will and begin being involved in the ministry. He has a real heart for children and a desire to meet the needs of people around us in any way he can. I know that the Lord will use him in a mighty way. Please keep him in your prayers as you pray for us too, that he'll keep picking up the language and being able to impact others.

Just a side note: The Lord orchestrated one of His special "coincidences" in our lives on our trip back. This requires a lot more information and a little more waiting, but we will certainly share the amazing details of this unfolding story later.

The week we got back, we immediately had a group from Oklahoma come to work with us for a week. The group of about 10 people comprised a youth pastor, several teenagers, and another adult sponsor. We kept busy with doing village evangelism, gospel films, one-on-one witnessing, blowing up balloons, feeding children, and handing out tracts during the week. Then we took the last day to drive south, relax, visit a beach, and go snorkeling. It was a neat time to meet new people and see them involved in missions work.

After the group left we had a few days to pack before our two-week trip to Chiapas. This trip had several purposes. 1. Vicki's spring break for Easter weekend gave us the perfect chance to drive to Chiapas to visit her grandparents (Devora's family) who live in Chiapas. 2. Knowing that Abby, Brad, and I are here to see Mexico and learn the needs of the different areas, Ricardo and Devora wanted to give us the grand tour of Mexico's poorest state so that we could conocer those places. 3. Salvador Chiñas, a.k.a."the Crazy Doc", of Oaxaca had been in Cancun and needed a ride back to his work area in Chiapas. 4. Several Mexican missionaries who live and work in Chiapas were holding a series of youth and children's meetings in various mountain villages, so we went along to give away backpacks filled with gifts. The trip was very long and at times very hard, but we were able to learn a lot along the way and see some beautiful sights, too. This trip also requires a lot more information that I'll leave for more in-depth individual posts.

So now we're back in Cancun, catching our breath and waiting for the next time to go-go-go! We never know when it will be...

Global Impact Celebration

2010-03-02T09:18:00.001-08:00

This week we are thrilled to be writing from the States! We are sitting right now at Abby's house in Aiken, South Carolina, getting ready for Millbrook Baptist Church's "Global Impact Celebration" this weekend. We are really looking forward to spending time with our friends and family here as well as being able to meet and learn from other missionaries from all around the world. Abby and I will get to minister with the young married's class throughout the conference.

On Sunday, just before we flew out of Mexico Monday morning, the people of Cristo Te Ama threw an "on the spot" going away party for us, complete with Milky Way cake. We're only going to be away from them for 10 days, but this will give y'all in the States just a sense of the fellowship and community that is so present among the believers there. They are family, in the truest sense of the word.

Please be in prayer for us this week, that we would be able to minister to people this week, encourage fellow missionaries, and challenge people with God's call to serve Him around the world. God bless you all!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod Touch

January Ministry Update

2010-02-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends, 31/1/2010
Hello from Mexico! It’s nice to finally be able to write you from the mission field to which the Lord has directed us. We absolutely love it down here! In this letter, we’d like to “introduce” you all to some of the people we have gotten to know around here as well as some of the opportunities we’ve had to minister.

Phil, Marianne, Matt, and Monette Chain – These are the missionaries who have been here for years running Mexico Missions, Inc. They have been a huge help to us in getting us settled, showing us around town, teaching us Spanish words we’ll need to use, and telling us the way things work around here. Phil was a youth pastor in Oklahoma years ago at Dennis Jernigan’s church before the Lord led him to the mission field. Marianne is one of the nicest ladies you could know. She is crucial in helping us find needs that we can meet for people. Matt and Monette are pretty much our best friends, even though we’ve only been with them a short while during their moves between Oklahoma and Mexico.

Ricardo and Devora – These are the people we are the most involved with. Ricardo is an amazing cook! They live here at the mission and are in charge of the building as well as the village feeding programs. Like Marianne, Devora is always looking for needs that we can help people meet. Ricardo grew up in a gang with a history of violence, but you would never know it to meet him today, as he is one of the kindest, hard-working, faithful men around. Devora is very out-going and high-spirited. She keeps things entertaining around here.

Martin and Minerva – Martin is the pastor of “Jesus Loves You Baptist Church”, where we have really been able to get involved with the people and their ministry. Martin went to seminary in Mexico City before coming out here to pastor the church. I believe he was also the church’s founding pastor. He has such a fun personality and is also a top scorer on our church soccer team.

Jorge and Selene – Jorge is the music leader at the church and also heads up some of the youth activities. Along with leading music, he is a passionate speaker for proclaiming the gospel. He has a great sense of humor and is always trying to trip us up with Spanish tongue-twisters and jokes. He’s also the goalkeeper on our soccer team. His wife Selene teaches English and sometimes helps us with our Spanish.

Venancio and Raquel – Venancio is crazy! That’s the only way to put it – He’s crazy for the Lord. Venancio is the Minister of Evangelism here at Mexico Missions. He lives to tell people about Jesus. The statement was made to me: “Unless you are able to shake Billy Graham’s hand, I don’t think you will ever shake the hand of anyone who has won more people to the Lord than Venancio.” For you people at Cornerstone, Venancio reminds us both of a Mexican Don Rice – that will give you a good idea of what he’s like! Venancio used to be a part of the Assembly of God, but was kicked out because he wanted to start churches from people’s homes, rather than putting up a building and then trying to bring people in. He told me, “Now I just preach to prepare people to meet Jesus, not to enter a denomination.” For example, we have been working with him on Isla Mujeres, where he has been trying to start a church in a tiny village on the south of the island. He has led one family to the Lord there and we now meet at their house on Tuesdays. There is another family nearby who is Catholic, and since they wouldn’t leave their house to come to the Bible study, we had the Bible study at their house! Venancio will do anything to tell people about Jesus.

Gabriel and Marta – Gabriel is a doctor who attends the church. His wife Marta teaches the women’s Bible study when we go into the villages. She also is a very passionate teacher and very clearly communicates the message of the gospel each time she speaks. Abby has really enjoyed spending some time with her and learning from her in the Bible studies.

Jose Luis and Hilda – These two are a very fun couple. They both speak a good bit of English, so Abby’s really been helped by spending time with them. It’s funny to be listening to someone and trying to understand their Spanish, when they suddenly say something in English! It really catches you by surprise!

We’ve been here for a little more than 3 weeks now and we feel right at home. The people here have welcomed us warmly and we love being involved in the ministry here with them. Here are a few highlights of the ministry opportunities we’ve had thus far.

• Isla Mujeres

I already told you a bit about this opportunity. It’s been neat to see how a new church is planted. It started before we got here with witnessing until at least one person, or couple, or in this case family accepted Christ. Now we are in the process of discipleship with them. Venancio explained on the first night we were there the importance of discipleship and following after Jesus with all of our hearts. We have a very basic Bible study book that we’re now going through with those people and trying to invite others in as well, so they can hear about Jesus, too.

• Victoria

Victoria is a small village about 100 km west of town. We go there every Saturday to do a feeding program for the village, as well as another small village nearby. We drive to the villages and pick up all the kids and adults we can pack into a van and suburban (about 50 typically) and bring them to a thatch-roofed building where we sing choruses, preach the gospel, and then split up into separate age groups. We always ask the people who came if they have a Bible and if they don’t, we will bring them one the next week. The men do a Bible study led by one of the church members. The ladies are taught the basic principles of salvation by Marta. Jorge teaches some of the teenage guys to play the guitar using praise choruses. Susi teaches the older children about the Bible, starting in Genesis 1 with creation. And a couple other ladies teach the little kids about Jesus being born in Bethlehem. While we are in classes, Ricardo and Devora and Abby make lunch for everyone, and then we eat and take them home. On some Saturdays we will have bags of clothes or shoes to give away, a doctor to come give free checkups, a hairstylist to give free haircuts, and of course we play a game of soccer with the kids on the basketball court.

• Film Evangelism

This is Venancio’s specialty! He knows hundreds of pastors with new church plants in the Yucatán peninsula. So we get with a church – any church – and schedule a night that we will meet in their village and show a gospel film with Venancio preaching afterwards. It’s a bit irritating sometimes because he will turn up the speakers absolutely as loud as they will go, but it’s only because he wants everyone that possibly can to hear it. Pray that people will continue to be reached and will respond to the call of God to salvation.

• Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama

I could put several more areas of ministry, but they would all be summed up by this church. The ministry at Victoria, in fact, is led by the people at Jesus Loves You. We have been asked to be involved in the music ministry at church as well as possibly doing some kind of teaching for the 10-14 year-olds. They have also asked if we could teach English classes so that they could bring in people from the surrounding areas and have the chance to witness to them as they study English. We have both been invited to men’s and women’s Bible study, Friday night prayer meetings, and soon we’ll be having special meetings with a group of Americans coming in February. The church is also involved with the Cancun Bible Institute and I’m hoping to be able to attend some of their classes coming up soon. As we have been observing, studying, and visiting different churches in the area, we have found that there is a lot of confusion here – doctrinal confusion. We have found Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons, along with all the different denominations that disagree about what day to have church, how and whom to baptize, who Jesus really is, speaking in tongues, healing, visions, and prophecy. In this way, Cancun is not much different from the United States. But while we are working with many different churches of different denominations, we are committed to the truth of the Word of God. The people in this area are very confused. And thus, we want to plug into a church where the Word is being preached. We want to minister with people who only teach and believe what the Bible says. We want to work with people who are committed to the Scriptures. And Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama has been a breath of fresh air for us. These people know the Bible, they teach it, and they live it. They are the ones reaching out in ministry to Victoria every Saturday. They visit homes every week and then give a type of “roll call” of the families they went to visit to see if they came to church. Typically, more than half of the families visited come to the church that week. Every Thursday night, they get together at the church and go visit people who are sick and can’t make it out of the house to come to church. Monday nights the men meet for Bible study and they stay around for hours fellowshipping and playing volleyball or soccer. On Sundays people will stay around after church and then eventually just start cooking food for everyone there. The women meet for Bible study on Wednesday nights. Some Friday nights, we have a prayer meeting from 8 PM – 12 PM. This church reminds me of the first-century church in Acts, when it says, “And they continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house… and daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

I have now heard ten different people from Cristo Te Ama, men and women, preach or teach a lesson. Every single one that I have heard has been completely accurate to the text of Scripture, passionate to communicate the message to the people they were teaching, and correctly applying the truths of the Bible to our lives. Pastor Martin is doing things right. He has been here working at this church with these people for 9 years, I believe. So while the process of discipleship, and passing on truth to people who will be able to teach others also, is no short task, they have got it right. These are the people we want to learn from. We are getting involved with this church because they are the only people we have found in this area who are rock-solid in their doctrine and practice. We thank the Lord for leading us to Cristo Te Ama and hope we can help and encourage them as much as they are us.

We’d also like to thank all of you at Cornerstone and Millbrook for your sacrificial giving to the Lord so that we can be here. Through you the Lord has provided for all of our physical needs down here. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our needs and prayer requests so you can be involved in a very close way with us. Our prayer requests right now involve just getting settled down here. With the many ministry opportunities, we need wisdom in knowing which we can be involved in and which we should not be, so that we don’t overcrowd our schedule. We could also use prayer just for our bodies adjusting to life here. We’ve had a few sick days and upset stomachs from the food here and the weather adjustments. All in all though, we’re taken care of. We’re enjoying ourselves and just love being here!

God bless you all and please let us hear from you as well. If you have any prayer requests, we’d be happy to pray for them for you or if there is anything we can do for you, please let us know. As you probably know, you can keep up with us on our blog (http://stclairsinmissions.blogspot.com) and through Facebook. We love you all and will be praying for you!

In His Service,

Jonathan & Abby St.Clair

Discipleship Begins

2010-01-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

What a neat time of ministry we had with Venancio today! We drove to Puerto Juarez and took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. The island, which is about 9 kilometers off the coast, is 7 kilometers long and only 600 meters wide. But it also houses 17,500 people, of which maybe 1,000 claim to be Christians. We met up with a brother there who drives a taxi and he took us to a small village called La Guadalupana. As he dropped us off, he promised to return later and charged us no fare saying "This is God's Taxi. He pays all of my bills."

Venancio knew about 3 different families in the village, two of which were believers and one Catholic. It was too cold for us to show the Jesus film outside, so we invited several different families to a Bible study at one of the believers' homes. We visited the Catholic family for a good while, talking. Outside of this home was a miniature chapel - I suppose you would call it - made of concrete. Inside it were colored, blinking lights and beautiful decorations. It housed a statue of the Virgin Mary. The "chapel" was made of concrete, while the house comprised wood and corrugated metal. The "chapel" had fancy decorations and electricity, while the inside of the house was left in the dark. We couldn't even see the people we were talking to until one of the daughters finally brought in an old, battery-powered lantern.

Though I'm still trying to get my Spanish back in practice, I was able to catch most of the conversation and was a bit surprised, yet very encouraged, by what I heard. While Venancio was inviting them to Bible study he said, "I know 2009 was a bad year for us all, but we are expecting a better year in 2010." And the man of the house spoke up, I think arguing. "No, this year is not going to be better. All of humanity is dying. It is colder here than it has ever been. There are storms and natural disasters more than there have ever been. We are in a financial crisis. We are in a health crisis. We are in a violence crisis." It seemed to me like the perspective of a pessimistic old villager who is fed up with the world. I was waiting for Venancio to respond when the man continued. "And where is the church? What are they doing to help? Why do we have so many children starving in Africa and India, people dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, why don't they help them?" All of this is coming from a man who obviously is a devout Catholic, ensuring that the statue of Mary has a better lodging than his own family. "What is wrong with the Pope? He is supposed to be the representation of Christ on this earth, but he does not follow the steps of Jesus. He just sits there with his big, tall crown on, made of pure gold, while the poor people of the world starve. Jesus went to the poor. He helped them, talked to them, healed them, ate with them. If he is supposed to be the representation of Jesus, he is not doing his job!" So I finally spoke up. "But that's not his job. That's our job. That is our responsibility as Christians. Jesus said that we are supposed to be the light to the world. And that's why we're here today."

Please pray for this family. As I talked to Venancio later, he was as encouraged as I was. He said, "You see??? God is working in him, in his mind! He is preparing his heart." The family didn't come to Bible study, but pray that as we continue to work there, we will show them the true representation of Christ on this earth.

So we began the Bible study - the first one in this village. Along with Venancio, Abby, and me, we had four people - a lady, her 16/17 year-old daughter, her 11/12 year-old son, and the man whose house we were in. By the end of the service, three more people had joined us. We sang a few Spanish choruses (all back to back in the same key - mas o menos) and I played along on someone's old, out-of-tune guitar. Then we shared praises and things we were thankful for during this past year. After prayer, Venancio preached on Luke 13:6-9 and the parable of the fig tree. He did such a great job of explaining how we are called as Christians to bear fruit. He explained how Christ intercedes on our behalf to the Father, always wanting to give us one more chance, another opportunity. He explained how a life not spiritually cared for will not spiritually bear fruit. And from there he shared his goal for this Bible study to begin the process of discipleship. We handed out some very basic Bible study materials that we will be going through each week and assigned everyone the first chapter to read before our meeting next Tuesday or Thursday. Venancio explained the Great Commission to "make disciples" of all people and that today is the day that discipleship begins.

It was such a neat opportunity to be here at the very beginning of the growth process for these very new Christians and the start of the church body on Isla Mujeres.

A Culture of Confusion

2010-01-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Two days is certainly not enough time to fully understand the culture of a city, so I will say that everything I write here is merely my initial perception of this region of Mexico. It seems that we are living now in a culture of confusion - religious confusion.

The city of Cancun itself is a mix of rich and poor, American and Mexican, healthy and hungry, tourist and native. It is a melting pot of people and cultures. In that way it is similar to many cities in the U.S. - New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit. But that same trend seems to be present in their religion. We are living and working with a non-denominational mission run by Baptist missionaries. Down our street to the east is a Presbyterian church. Across the street is a small Christian bookstore. Down our street to the west is a Baptist church. Across the street from there is a Pentecostal church. Beside the Baptist church is an Adventist church. And behind it is a large Catholic church. In town yesterday, we walked near another Catholic church and I went in. They were holding a service for the baptism of a young lady - maybe 16 or 17 - who had apparently converted to Catholicism. Catholicism here is so ingrained in this culture that many people here think to be Mexican is to be Catholic. Some Mexicans who have never set foot in a church will tell us that they are Christians. As I was standing outside the church, a woman approached me claiming to be a Jehovah's Witness and asking if I was as well. Thus, my initial perception of this area of Mexico is a culture of religious confusion.

However, there is at least one light shining brightly in this city (on our street, in fact!). Iglesia Bautista Cristo Te Ama, or Jesus Loves You Baptist Church, both knows and is preaching clearly the Word of God. This morning we visited this church of about 150 people with Ricardo and Devora, a dear couple that we are living and working with here. Pastor Martin Lemos was not afraid to speak out against the doctrinal errors being taught in the church right behind us! The message was a continuation of a series on salvation and focused today on Ephesians 2:8-10, how we are saved by faith alone and not by works of our own righteousness. The passage was preached along with James chapter 2 to show that while faith alone saves, good works prove the existence and validity of that faith. Examples were shown in Hebrews 11 of the great men and women of the faith whose good works accompanied their faith and proved it to be real. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Martin didn't simply close the service; he made the application very clear: "If you are one of those who say that you believe in Jesus, but you still go on living the same way you were before, your faith is dead. To believe in Jesus is not enough, for even the demons believe and tremble - James 2:19. Unless the faith you claim has changed the way you live, your faith is dead." I was so encouraged to hear a brother speaking the truth to his people - faithfully preaching the Word.

Other parts of the service included sharing prayer requests and praise reports, announcements, welcoming visitors (including us), singing hymns and choruses (led by the youth group), meeting and greeting the people, Bible reading and prayer. We will be back there for the evening service in about 4 hours and we're looking forward to getting to know these dear brothers and sisters better.

So as we minister, please pray that we will be able to keep doctrinal clarity in our preaching and be able to "speak the truth in love" to this very confused people.

How Do We Discern God's Plans for Our Life? - PRAYER REQUEST

2009-12-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've heard the phrase "a world of possibilities" before. And I know no other phrase that describes the mission field more accurately. Abby and I will soon be facing the toughest decision we have had to make thus far in our marriage: Where does God want us to serve Him full-time? Quite literally, there is "a world of possibilities."

What has God shown us up to this point?
1. He has called us to serve Him for the rest of our lives on the mission field.
2. He has directed us to Mexico for a year of on-field missions training.
3. He has burdened us to reach the unreached people of the world.

My mind if often overwhelmed by the possibilities of where we could serve; the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few...........

In a highly evangelized country like Mexico, there remain people groups who have never heard of Jesus Christ and some who do not even have a Bible in their native language.
The religion of Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the world. On the surface, Islam often teaches principles strikingly similar to Christianity, declaring itself a religion of peace (while truly bringing peace to no one), and therefore deceiving many into thinking that Muslims and Christians serve the same God, only by different names.
China, while being under the oppression of Communist leaders and closed to the gospel, now boasts not only the world's largest population, but is very near to surpassing the United States as the world's #1 sending country for evangelical missionaries.
Europe continues on as one of the world's most cold and spiritually dead regions of the world, where missionaries may well spend years of faithful service before seeing a single soul won for Christ.
The continent of Africa is rocked by the effects of AIDS, while sex-trafficking continues to increase, the number of orphans multiplies exponentially, and people starve or die of malnutrition every day.
The Middle East is a boiling kettle of anger, hatred, and religious fanaticism ready to erupt at any moment into the devastation of its own people and the people of Israel.

Yet in the midst of these chaotic, last days of our earth, there remains great hope........

The Wycliffe Bible Translators are on pace to have the Bible translated into every known world language by the year 2025, a mere 15 years away.
God's sovereign election of Muslims to salvation is coming to pass by the millions. Old men are dreaming dreams and young men are seeing visions of Jesus Christ, just as the Bible prophesied would happen in "the last days".
The underground of church of China is growing in spite of persecution with an estimated 10,000 people per day turning to Jesus.
Institutions like Moffat Bible College in Kijabe, Kenya are training national pastors from all over Africa to take the gospel back to their different tribes who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gospel for Asia is sending out tens of thousands of native missionaries to go into those parts of the 10/40 window which have never been reached with the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Operation Mobilization is pushing forward with the Near East Initiative to reach out to Muslims and share with them the true Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Joshua Fund is raising money to provide finances, Bible, material resources, bomb shelters, tons of food, hospitals, medical personnel, gospel materials in Arabic and in Hebrew, in an effort to bless God's chosen people of Israel and protect them in the coming wars with neighboring countries.

So the question, then, to a young missionary couple is: Where does God want us to serve?

If this were a secular business and a mere career choice, the answer could be more simply found. We go where we could be the most comfortable. Or we go where we would most like to live. Maybe we go where we can have the greatest adventure. Or we may go where we would feel the most safe. But in this calling - this spiritual warfare - the choice is not our to make. Our commanding Officer will tell us where to go.

So what must we do to discern God's direction for our life? How does He guide us into His will?

We must stay in close fellowship with God in order to clearly hear His voice.
We must keep our eyes open to the opportunities the Lord brings across our path.
We must listen to the counsel of those godly counselors God has placed in our life.
We must follow each step that God shows us - walk through every door God opens.

Please pray for us. This is a decision that could easily be made by our emotions. This is a decision that could easily be affected by our fears. This is a decision that could determine the course of our lives. And this is a decision that could change the world!

Please pray for us!

"Find out where God is working and go and join Him there." - Henry Blackaby

Commissioning Service

2009-12-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

For anyone who wasn't able to attend, we had a wonderful commissioning service yesterday morning at Cornerstone. Pastor Steve preached a message from I Samuel 17 challenging Abby and me as we head towards the mission field early in 2010. The five main points of the sermon were represented by the five stones David took into battle against Goliath:

- Stone #1: Divine Purpose (I Sam.17:46) - "...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,"
- Stone #2: Divine Presence (I Sam.17:47) - "...For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."
- Stone #3: Divine Position (I Sam.17:45) - "...I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts..."
- Stone #4: Divine Power (I Sam.17:37a) - "...The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear..."
- Stone #5: Divine Promise (I Sam.17:37b) - "...he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

A few notable quotations from the sermon:

"A fanatic is one who won't change his mind and won't change the subject."
"The true test of your character is what it takes to stop you."
"If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. So stand anyway." - John R. Rice
"You must go through the lion and the bear to get to the giant."

At the end of the service, we gathered together with the church leadership, the mission committee, and the rest of the church body to pray. We closed the service by singing together, "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus". It was a very challenging, yet encouraging way to leave our home church for the work God is calling us into.

Thank you, Pastor Steve, for your impact on our lives!

Travel Plans

2009-12-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick update for anyone who needs to know our travel plans for this next month. Abby and I are in Branson, Missouri right now and have been visiting my grandparents here for the past few days. In the morning, we drive back to Morton to speak at the adult Christmas Party at Cornerstone. Sunday morning will be our commissioning service and our last Sunday at Cornerstone for the next year or so. We will then be driving on Friday the 11th to Michigan to spend time with our family there and I will be preaching at Sumnerville Bible Baptist Church on Sunday the 13th. Then just before Christmas, we will drive down to South Carolina to be with the rest of our family and visit our other supporting church, Millbrook Baptist. Then we will be flying out of Atlanta and into Mexico on January 8th.

For all of you at Cornerstone, it has been an honor and a true joy to minister with you for the past 4 1/2 years. We can't wait to get back from Mexico and share with you how the Lord has been working. We hope to see many of you this next week before we leave. To everyone at Millbrook, we are looking forward to being back with you all for about 2 weeks before we leave and would also like to catch up with many of you while we are there. God bless you all and thank you for your many prayers and investment in us.

Oh, and one more thing. Some dear people in our church have been making up some prayer cards for us to give to our supporters. We will be getting those to you very shortly with information on how to stay in touch with us and how to pray specifically for us. We love you all!

- Jonathan & Abby

Watching God Provide

2009-11-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

It's a fine line to walk. You want to step out on faith and watch God provide for you in ways you can't even imagine now. But you also want to be a responsible husband and wait for the Lord to provide now, proving that it is His time for you to go. I've been walking this tightrope for several months now.

Abby and I have done about everything we believe we can to wait on, pray for, and pursue the finances to get us to Mexico. We've been sitting at 45% of our full-time budget for almost a year now. So in an effort to adjust our plans and be active in trying to get to the mission field, we sat down and recalculated a smaller budget that we could be able to live on during our first year of missions training in Mexico. We called up our financial planner and missions committee chairman to get together and get their advice on our new budget. Can we go? Can we go?

I so appreciate the counsel of those two men. They strike that balance well; they walk the tightrope. We have faith that God will provide. But we also want to be wise and wait for the Lord to provide. The conclusion of our meeting - we will wait to leave until the Lord provides another $700 per month. We felt that was the right balance. It was being a good steward of our finances and also going out on faith.

I began to prepare myself for the next step. We wait. We keep praying. Maybe we could call up some people who could help. Maybe the Lord knows we're not ready to go yet. Whatever that step is, we'll do it. But as always, God showed up.

"God is never in a hurry, but He's always on time." - Unknown

Within hours of the meeting, we began hearing from people who had committed to support us, but weren't sure how much yet. One family, two families, three, people from Millbrook, people from Cornerstone - by the end of the day another $425 per month had come in. The next day another $150; as of today we are $45 away from that $700 extra per month, with one family who has committed to give the rest of whatever we lack. Bottom line, we have watched, God has provided!

Now I can only imagine what He'll do once we get to Mexico. Thank you to everyone who supports us. You are a blessing - probably more than you know.

Ministry Update

2009-08-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

The Lord has been doing a lot in our lives this past year, so we wanted to write all of you to catch you up. Since we last wrote, Abby and I have been married and we’re now living in Morton, Illinois for a few more months before heading to the mission field. We’re both waiting tables at Cracker Barrel to keep the bills paid and save a little for our future needs and I’ve also been leading music at Cornerstone.

Our plans have been adjusting a bit as the Lord has been revealing His plans for us. We will be spending our first year on the mission field at Mexico School of Missions in the Yucatán Peninsula near Cancun. You may remember from our first letter that our initial plan was to go to Jiménez, Chihuahua, Mexico to work with our missionaries Randy & Gwen Ashcraft. Well since that time, the Lord has been leading the Ashcrafts to move on to another mission field. So we believe that the Lord would have us dedicate our first year to missions training. At the School of Missions, Abby and I will be able to further our understanding of the language, work with church groups coming from the States on missions trips, minister to children, run vacation Bible school programs, assist national pastors in local church plants, and participate in evangelism. We are so excited to have the opportunity to receive training while being on the field and immersed in the culture the Lord has called us to.

The school year there starts in mid January and goes through August. We are planning to move to Mexico this coming January and get settled in before classes begin. It has been such a blessing to watch how the Lord has provided our prayer and financial support thus far. We have about 50 percent of our full-time budget of $4000/month already committed. The Lord has always been faithful to provide for us, so we know He will continue to do so as we get closer to leaving.

After our year of training, we will be determining where the Lord would have us to move long-term for church planting. We are open to anywhere He leads and feel called to the Spanish-speaking people of the world. Whether the Lord should direct us to another area of Mexico, Central or South America, or even a region of Spain, we will follow His leading.

Please be in prayer for these two things: 1.) That the Lord will continue to bring in our monthly financial support, and 2.) That we will be sensitive to His leading for our long-term ministry. These are our greatest needs right now.

If the Lord should lead you to support us financially, please send your one-time gift or monthly support pledge to our church address below and mark your gift for “St.Clair’s Mexico Support”. If you would like to receive our e-newsletter with prayer and praise updates, please email me at jonstclair14@gmail.com and I will add your email address to our database. We look forward to sharing with you the things that the Lord is accomplishing through our lives and your prayers. Thank you to all of you who already support us and pray for us faithfully. We are grateful to God for each of you and love you dearly. ¡Que Dios les bendiga!

In His Service,
Jonathan & Abby St.Clair

Cornerstone Baptist Church
c/o Ed Hauter, Missions Committee
P.O. Box 924
Morton, IL 61550

Beginning Deputation

2009-07-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

God's plan for us continues to unfold. The wedding is over and we're back in Illinois getting everything settled. Today and tomorrow, we'll be sending out our deputation letter to over 125 churches, some here in our area and others that we have contact with through friends and previous ministries we've served with.

Please be in prayer for us and for the churches that will be receiving our letter. We need God to raise up an army of believers who will truly have a part in this ministry with us. We don't just need finances. We need people who will pray for us regularly, people who will support us financially, and people who will stay in contact with us and consider us an extension of their ministry around the world. So please pray that God will move the hearts of the right people, the right pastors, and the right missions committees to join with us in ministry to Mexico.

God bless you all!

- Surrendered to His Service,
Jonathan & Abby St.Clair

El Embajador en Español

2008-10-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

La Llamada de Regresar...

Mis hermanos en Cristo,

¡Nos hace mucha ilusión compartir con ustedes el trabajo que Dios ha hecho en nuestras vidas durante los últimos meses! Entre Marzo y Junio de este año, yo estaba viviendo en México y serviendo con Randy y Gwen Ashcraft en Ministerios La Fe, porque yo creí que Dios me estaba llamando al trabajo de misiónes. Yo tenía una meta para mi viaje - para decidir si Dios me quiere regresar a México y servirle en el campo misionero. Esa meta fue cumplida. Dios usó mi tiempo alli para confirmar en mi corazón y por el consejo de otros que me quiere ser misionero, un soldado en su servicio.

En un mundo que se hace más hostil contra el Cristianismo, tenemos el honor de ser usados de Dios para llevar las buenas noticias de Su Hijo a los que se murió para salvar. Cuando encontramos los corazones abiertos a recibir Cristo como su Señor, nos gozarémos con los ángeles. Si nosotros sufrimos la persecución, yo oro que serémos ellos “de quien el mundo no era digno” y entregar nuestras propias vidas por causa de Su nombre. Nuestras vidas son suya para hacer lo que quiere.

Mientras que salimos, nuestro misión es hacer discipulos de Jesucristo. Esto incluyo el evangelismo, por medio de testificar y desarollar las relaciones, y también instrucción, por el estudio y la enseñanza de la Palabra de Dios regularmente. Nuestro plan inicial es moverse a Jiménez, Chihuahua a trabajar junto al Ashcrafts y Pastor Jose Luis Ayala en Iglesia Bautista La Fe. Estaremos implicados en ministerios incluyendo el visitación, predicación, grupos pequeños, música, y también el ministerio a los jovenes. Permaneceremos allí en Jiménez hasta que Dios nos mueve al otro lugar, si ése sea por meses o por años.

Estamos comisionados y enviados por Iglesia Bautista de Piedra Angular de Morton, IL, la iglesia que ha sido mi hogar por los últimos 3 años. Este cuerpo de creyentes tiene una pasión verdadera para las misiones y es implicada en el trabajo del reino de Dios alrededor del mundo. Será dificil dejar a tales amados amigos y a los pastores con quien serví en el ministerio, pero vamos a donde nuestro Señor nos ha enviado y nos sostendrá. Miramos adelante a poder volver a casa con historias de cómo Dios ha utilizado su inversión en nuestras vidas y ministerio para lograr sus deseos en México.

El país de México es un campo muy abierto al evangelio. Sin embargo, muchas áreas del país todavía no lo han oido. Unos grupos de la gente todavía no tienen una Biblia en su lengua materna. ¡Fuimos a un village de 100 personas en las montañas y, a mi sorpresa, ninguna de ellas había visto una biblia! Pero después de una presentación simple del evangelio, algún 30-40 de ellos oró para recibir a Cristo como su Salvador. Eso es lo que haremos en México. Llevaremos las buenas noticias de salvación a los que nunca la han oído.

Pidamos que Dios levantara un ejército de creyentes que compartirán en nuestras batallas con oracion. Necesitamos sus oraciones. Nada de valor eterna ocurre sin orar. Mientras que pasamos a los últimos días de esta tierra, nuestro deseo es compartir Cristo con tanta gente podemos - antes del fin. Nuestro futuro es emocionante, pero el enemigo no nos dejará ir indiscutidos. Necesitamos a ejército. ¿Estas listo para una guerra?

Peticiones de Oración:
· Sabiduria y dirección en el ministerio
· Entendimiento completo de la idioma
· Preparación para nuestro matrimonio
· Provisión financiero para regresar
Reportas de Alabanza:
· Dios confirmó su llamada de regresar
· Salvación de muchas almas perdidas
· Una perspectiva nueva del mundo perdido
· Contento y gozo por siguiendo la voluntad de Dios

"Our Story - My Side" by Abby Temple

2008-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt God leading your heart? I'm talking crystal clear leading -not something you think could maybe, possibly be God. No, something that is so undeniably God that it overwhelmed the deepest parts of you.

I felt that type of leading during the summer of 2003. At 12 years of age, the voice of the Lord is not one that most children are trying to listen for. And honestly, I can't say I was solely focused on Him. Yet, in His gently powerful way, He spoke to my heart. I was sitting in a music conference room in Orlando, Florida, with my youth group. This was a night just like any other, nothing unusual that might make me suspect something. I sat in my seat and listened to other youth sing karaoke. Then a young girl started singing. No music, just words. She truly had a beautiful voice, and the acappella notes rang through the room. It might be easy to believe that at 12 years old, I was somehow just overtaken with the emotion behind the song, Carry Your Candle. However, His voice was unmistakable. You see, the sermon that night had been on Mary, the mother of Jesus. I remember the pastor talking about how mature Mary had to have been, at some 14 years of age, in order to be trusted with the responsibility of being the mother of the Christ Child. Though I knew I wasn't any where near worthy of this much trust, I decided I could become someone worthy of such. The pastor asked the question, “Don't you want to be that type of girl? Like Mary?” The obvious answer in my heart was, “Yes!” So, with that in my heart, I listened to this girl sing a beautiful song based on spreading the gospel. Unmistakably, God spoke. I knew, right then and there, that His plan for my life was going to be missions. I started crying like I honestly never had before. I had to excuse myself to the bathroom. To say that my heart was overwhelmed is an understatement. Because my family and I were in the throes of an adoption from China, I suspected that God would use the place in my heart for the Chinese people in one way or another for missions. From that day on, I knew that God has a special purpose for my life. I knew He was leading me internationally. Although I knew not where, nor how, nor when, nor with whom. I knew because He had told me.

Fast forward a few years. I leave those years out partly because they don't pertain to the end of the story, but also because I struggled in those years. Though I knew in my heart God had called me for His glory, my life didn't exactly reflect one of a focused “missionary to be”. I struggled because I wanted to be accepted, forgetting that the One who completely accepted me had not gone anywhere. However, through much prayer on my parents' part, I realized again how accepted I really was by those who truly cared, Christ included.

Through World Changers in Chicago, sitting in the prayer service on Wednesday night, God reiterated His calling on my life. Again, His voice was unmistakably clear. I went forward to speak with my youth pastor about how God was leading my heart. He didn't at all seem surprised, and he prayed right there with me. Though I knew when I was 12, I don't really believe I submitted until that night at World Changers in 2006.

Keep going forward – Early April of 2008. I was truly in complete submission to His calling, no if's, and's or but's about it. Kaylee and I had started going to True North Church in North Augusta for their praise and worship style service and intense focus on missions. Actually, I think this was only the second time we'd gone. The pastor preached a sermon on missions, and how as Christians we all need to get involved. I listened, because I knew this sermon especially pertained to me. The pastor read a letter from a lady in the church who had just heard of the children in third world countries who lived on trash piles. They had nothing of their own, so they had to feed off of garbage. Her letter was convicting because in it she said, “Why did God bless me, and leave others with so little? And how can I be so comfortable while there are children living on trash? I don't want to always be this comfortable." Oh, how I could relate! I didn't want to always be this comfortable. I wanted to experience what those children felt. I wanted to do anything I could to help. And I was truly willing to do whatever God had in store for me. Again, tears flooded my eyes. I was, yet again, overwhelmed with desire to fulfill God's calling on my life, but this time I wanted to go immediately! Right then. I was tired of waiting to finish school, and certainly couldn't imagine trying to make it through at least 4 years of college before I could go full-time. A few days after this sermon, I sat talking to my mom in her room, and cried as I told her how ready I was to get to the mission field. But, when? Where? How? Was I going alone? She replied, “Right now you need to stay on the track you're on. You're going to finish high-school, and you're going to college, unless or until He shows you otherwise. And if He does, He's going to open the doors.”

April 13th, 2008. I sat in my mom's closet with her as she cleaned out old fabric swatches. Though I'd talked to Kaylee a good bit about what I'd dreamed of in a future mate, I hadn't really spent much time talking to Mom about the subject lately. Not because she wouldn't be interested or because I wouldn't want to tell her. But, because Prince Charmings weren't just waltzing around everywhere I looked. I wasn't thinking AT ALL that he might just poke his head into my life's door any time soon, so why the need to talk about something when you have no prospects? Whatever my reason for talking to her about it on this day, God knew it that through this unusual conversation with my mom He would eventually confirm a certain situation He was bringing about. “Mom, you know, my Prince Charming is out there somewhere. Do you ever think about that?”, I asked. Though she was probably slightly taken aback by that seemingly random question, she said a few things. I said a few things. Then she ended the conversation with, “Abby, I don't think you've met him yet. I don't believe he's in Aiken. But, I don't think you're going to have to go looking for him. God's going to bring him right to you. You just need to trust Him on that.” I know, I know, doesn't it sound like something I just made up? Well, it isn't. Those words are exactly what she said that day.

Rattle-tap-tap, our dear friend Erika's at the door. She had just returned from her long-awaited missions trip to Mexico for Spring Break. Who knows why she came over that day? All I remember is, “Abby! I've met the cutest guy! And he's a missionary! He has a real heart for the Lord! I think ya'll have a lot in common, you should get to know him. I went to his Facebook profile and read his stuff, and I just kept thinking of you.”

“Ha! Yeah right, Klipa! What're the odds of that!?” However, she had said he was a missionary. And I was ready to be a missionary. So, maybe he could help me get on the right track! With very little thought, I located Jonathan St.Clair on Facebook and shot him a friend request. My only fear was that he would think I was some crazy teenager who would end up with some ridiculous crush on him. So, I threw in on the message line, “So, this is totally and completely Klipa's doing.... :O)”. I remember it because, I purposely put in the “completely.” To just use “totally” might make me sound like I really was some ridiculous teenager. No, I was seriously interested in talking to the guy about how he got involved in missions. And given that he was 26, and I, 17, I wanted him to take me seriously. But, the “:O)” had to go in, because it needed a friendly touch.

April 13th, 2008 – Jonathan St.Clair has accepted your friend request. Finally, a missionary I can talk to! A “Hey, nice to meet you” on the walls and that was about it for the next 4 days. Still my fear was that he would think I was interested in him, and that my intentions weren't pure. I can say with an honest heart that my intentions were completely pure. The thought did cross my mind, 'Christian guy. Missionary. Unmarried.' But, the age gap was going to be too much. Honestly, there was no way. Or so I thought.
April 17th, 2008 – I sit down at the table to write Jonathan and ask him how he got started in ministry. I tried to keep it short, didn't want to be buggy. But, obviously I had a lot of questions running through my mind.

“I really feel called to missions. And God has seriously been working on my heart these last few months. But, ya know, gotta get a college degree before I get into anything too huge. Definitely a blessing that Klipa met you---Cause I have no clue who to ask around here. So, I have a couple questions for you. If ya don't mind. :O) I've been doing World Changers for the last 2 years. I love it, but it's not terribly evangelistic, at least my crews haven't been. I really want to witness, like work with people, children, anyone. I'm willing to go far....Or stay close. I guess I should start close before I go far. So, how'd you get involved? And when? Short term while in college? Week? Month? It's really overwhelming! Please, just give me any advice you may have. I'd appreciate anything.”

I mash the send button and the next thing I know a (1) pops up in my inbox. “Mom, this is so weird. I just wrote that Jonathan guy that Erika told me about. And he just wrote me at the same time! I just hit “send” and I have a new message- it's from Jonathan!” Weird. This was the first of many weird “coincidences”, so to speak, that would happen over the next month or so. His message was similar to mine, minus all the questions. “We're 'friends' so, tell me who you are. And here is a little bit about me.” Something along those lines.

Before I go on about Jonathan, I must add this part in as it is key to the rest of the story. Jonathan and I had our crazy first message coincidence on a Thursday. That Sunday, April 20th, Kaylee and I went to True North. She and I had spent copious amounts of time talking about missions and where we felt God wanted us to go. Both feeling called to one sort of international missions or another, we discussed seriously the option of going international for a short term trip together. Although we were both already signed up for World Changers, she doing so reluctantly, my whole heart in it, somehow we were open to wherever God led that summer. Right before Kaylee had signed up for World Changers, she told me that she really didn't feel like that's where God wanted her this summer. She said she didn't really know where God wanted her, but she was not at peace in her heart about World Changers. I was not a happy camper, as I was really looking forward to spending a week of our senior summer on the mission field together. But, through much prayer she agreed to go ahead and sign up, and then if God led another way she'd remove her name. So, on that Sunday at church, we just happen to run into Chip Herring, whom I'd known for a few years, and Kaylee had never met. Chip's a neat guy, the college minister for True North and Cedar Creek Church combined, I believe. In typical Chip-fashion he said, “Hey ya'll should come to Mexico with us this summer!” Oh, I can still hear those words coming out of his mouth. “Mexico? Hey, that's where Jonathan is. Weird, yet again.” I thought. At this point I wasn't really suspecting anything of my friendship with Jonathan. So, very little thought went into that suggestion from Chip, at that moment at least.

The week in Mexico just so happened to be the same week as World Changers. One of my best guy friends, Eric, had already tried to get me to go on this same trip. But, I wouldn't hear of it because World Changers was, again, that same week. Kaylee, my oh-so-faithful prayer warrior friend, took what Chip had said to heart, and brought it back up to me a day or so later. “Abby, I really think God may want us on that Mexico trip.” The truth is, I trust Kaylee's judgment. If she feels like the Lord is speaking to her, then I better listen to what she has to say. Though it took a lot of prayer, and weighing of options, God was clear when He spoke to Kaylee's heart, and He spoke to mine, too.

I prayed a lot about that decision without even mentioning it to Jonathan. Somehow I found out that the trip through Merge was going to the same ranch Jonathan was serving at, and I didn't want him to think I was coming to meet him. I wasn't. In fact, he wasn't even supposed to be there, he was leaving June 7th. However, before I made any final decisions, I did ask him about the ranch, and Randy and Gwen and what kinds of things the trip might entail. He told me briefly about the ministry there, as it was still the first week of writing and we hadn't gotten to that part yet. Still, he wasn't going to be there, and it didn't matter anyway. I was going to serve the Lord and others and get a glimpse into the international mission field. So, the decision was made to go on this trip to Jiménez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

I'd like to say that life went on like normal. And it did to an extent. But, normal life didn't include writing some missionary I'd never met on a daily basis. And we're not talking, “Hey, how are you?” every day. It was one huge, on-going conversation about everything from family (a lot about this), music (lots about this too, obviously a common interest), food (still a very common interest), but most importantly about the Lord. About beliefs and convictions and witnessing and Bible studies, missions, you name it and we talked about it. Stories, funny ones too! Oh, I would just laugh and laugh at some of his crazy, almost unbelievable, yet too-detailed-to-be-made-up, stories. The “huge man on the plane who smothered me in my seat” story. The “only scored one accidental goal in my 4 years of college hockey career” story. The “went to San Fransisco and on my day off from conferences ended up in a library rather than the surf” story. If I didn't know better, I'd say I was writing a comedian! The 'ditto's, 'me too's, and 'I can't believe it! I do the same thing's!' were present in almost every message. Purely just friends, excluding the fact that we hadn't met.

I do believe that I started to suspect God leading earlier than Jonathan did. However, I was determined to not even hint toward anything but a true friendship. So, though my prayers changed a bit, “God, what are you doing? Is this really too good to be true? Or is this You?”, my words to him remained the same. I had no idea if Jonathan was feeling at all led the way I was, or if it was really just one huge coincidence.

I do remember when my prayers truly felt confirmed in my heart. I was praying daily for Jonathan, his ministry, and his decision in choosing a wife. Though writing Jonathan, and praying for him all the while, I was still continually praying for my future husband. But, one night, I don't know why, I sensed a change. I don't know what made me start to pray very seriously about Jonathan, and the possibility of him being my “One.” But, I did. I prayed so many things that night. Oh, the wisdom and guidance I pleaded my Savior for, because somehow I knew that I was going to need them. I prayed that night for Jonathan, and I prayed that night for my future husband. I don't know how to explain how it hit me, but it hit. I was praying for the same person in both of those prayers. God would have to confirm it through counsel and guidance, I did know that. But, His assurance was clear.

I remember one night I was babysitting for Erika in mid-May. After HOME group, she came in and, like always, asked me how I was doing. She asked me about Jonathan and about our writing. I can't remember how long we talked but, I specifically remember what I told her that night. I told her that, in my heart, I knew that Jonathan was the type of man who could lead me. I've never wanted, nor did I think God wanted for me, a man who would bow down to my every request. I wanted a guy who was strong spiritually. One who would be the leader of our home and, while taking my thoughts and opinions into consideration, would make the final decisions. My desire was to be the Proverbs 31 wife. And so, as Jonathan would say, I needed a “Superman” husband. With thoughts swirling in my head, and now even more questions unanswered, I started praying hard. Daily, I was continually praying about this situation that God was putting together.

Jonathan returned home from Mexico on June 7th, only to find an unexpected $600 in his bank account from tax returns. Before leaving Mexico, he had researched plane tickets for that week back to Mexico in July. At that time, the round trip tickets were some $900. Within a couple weeks, he had written my dad and gotten clear conformation from him that my parents believed this could be of God. He had also talked with his parents about what God was doing, and they seemed open to the possibility that God was orchestrating it all. So, with confirmation from both sides of the family, he went online to book the tickets. By that time, the tickets had miraculously dropped from the $900 price to under $600. God had given him more than enough to pay for the plane ticket. All I could say was, Wow!

Between the time that Jonathan wrote my dad and then booked his tickets, and our trip to Mexico, we would stay up late and text back and forth. It sounds crazy I know, why not just call? Well, he had decided he didn't want to hear my voice before we met. Looking back now though, I really appreciate these few weeks we had because it confirmed a lot in my heart. I'm not exactly sure how to explain this, other than to say I felt really close to him those nights. Without even speaking to him, it was like I was there or he was here, we were together. I just felt close, very close to him. It was similar to what I felt with my sisters before having ever met them. And in fact, with the girls, they didn't even know I existed. Yet, I still felt very close in heart to them, my sister's whom I'd never even met. (This same extremely close feeling I felt when I was around him in Mexico. I remember telling Klipa that I just felt like our hearts were one.) It was an incredibly deep feeling, one I obviously can't describe well. But, none the less, these weeks were essential in the coming together as one.

So, up until July 10th, 2008, we'd never met face-to- face, never spoken over the phone, and though I'd heard his voice on his many videos, he hadn't heard mine. The glorious day had come, I was going to meet the man I knew I would marry! Kaylee can commiserate with me here: 3 AM-the alarm went off. Miraculously, I had been able to fall asleep after the crazy thunder storm we experienced the night before. We got ready and she assured me that I looked fine. We were off to Cedar Creek to meet up with our awesome team, and then to Columbia to head towards Houston. The meeting was emotionally packed, and I couldn't have had better people there with me, my precious “other mother”, Erika, and my dear friend Kaylee. Oh words can't even describe....

The week was incredible, standing on the soil of the mission field to which I knew I'd return and being there with the man I was convinced I was going to marry. I also was able to spend hours talking to my sweet new friend, Gwen Ashcraft, about missions, family and marriage. To have the wise counsel of mature believers confirming what I was sensing all over was from God, was a very peaceful feeling.

About a month later, Jonathan took my parents up on their offer to fly him down to SC for his birthday. Having him here was like having family over for a week. He fit. I mean, just fit right in. My parents loved him already, and now they were able to meet him face-to-face. He and my big brothers got along great, cutting up and shooting hoops. And my sweet little sisters just adored everything about him. It was very powerful to see Jonathan with my little sisters, especially the two I'd had a part in praying home. And Lacy, my faithful, deeply spiritual younger sister, was able to meet the man she'd been praying for for months.

September 19th, 2008, Jonathan flew into Charlotte where we picked him up from the airport. We were meeting his family and surprising his brothers and sisters in Greenville for the play
“Annie.” His sister Tiffany had a part in it, and God had worked out that the two families would meet then. With a lot of planning and preparation, unbeknownst to me, Jonathan had worked it out to propose there in Greenville. It was simply gorgeous in the park where he did it, and to have both families there, minus Jonathan's oldest brother, his wife, and their beautiful family, was just perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything more. It was like a dream.

All of this has been like a dream. No, better than a dream. It's a fairy-tale written by the Author of Love Himself. What a good, incredible, awesome God I serve, to bless me with such a beautiful love story. Thank you again, Jesus, for having Your way with my life. “For Your ways are higher than my ways...”

Have you ever felt God leading your heart? I'm talking crystal clear leading. Not something you think could maybe, possibly be God. No, something that is so undeniably God that it overwhelmed the deepest parts of you. This has been my last few months, and this is the sense I feel in my soul when I think about my future.

Journey to the Beginning - Our Story

2008-09-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

Early 2007...

I've been serving here at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Morton, Illinois as a youth pastor for almost 2 years now. But I'm starting to feel like God wants me doing something different. I don't know what. I don't understand why. I don't want to do something different. This church has become home for me, and I just love my teens, my youth workers, and my pastors. But if God wants me doing something different, I must follow. I must obey.

What else should I do? I know it is some area of ministry - some full-time Christian service. I surrendered my life to full-time service when I was 12 years old and God has kept me on that path ever since. So I look into several different options. I contact a youth ministry and camp outreach in New York City and downtown Manhattan. I get papers to audition for a Christian musical theater ministry in Branson, Missouri. I consider rejoining Life Action Ministries, whom I traveled with my entire life before college. I pursue opportunities, but must wait on God's timing and direction.

I announce to the church and youth group that I would be resigning. Many people are shocked. Some of my teens are confused. "Where are you going, Pastor Jon? Did we do something wrong? Are you mad at us? Are you going to be a youth pastor somewhere else?" I had no answers. And so, the last lesson I taught to my teens here was on Abraham. When God called Abraham, He told him to leave where he was and go to "a place that I will show you." He didn't know where. He didn't know why. And he had to follow on in obedience until God directed him further. This is where I now was.

June 2007...

As God's plans begin to unfold, the last thing I ever did with my youth group was to take a missions trip to Jiménez, Chihuahua, Mexico. It was on this trip, that God began to speak to me again in the direction He wants my life to go. We minister alongside Randy and Gwen Ashcraft. I begin to see that missions is not some greatly complicated ministry for only the most elite Christians, but rather, a practically simple ministry of telling people about Jesus and what He has done for us.

I begin to see the need for more workers as we travel for hours into the mountains to small villages where people have never heard the name of Jesus - and never even seen a Bible. The preacher stands up before the crowd and says, "Who can tell me what this is?", holding his Bible in the air. "A book!", all of the children cry out. "Yes, but what book?" Silence. "This is the Word of God." Silence. I have never seen faces like that before. It was a look of shock and awe. It was almost an unspoken, "Where did you get that?!? I didn't know such a thing existed." As the preacher began to walk through the plan of salvation, starting with Adam and Eve and sin coming into the world, ending with Christ paying the price for our sin and rising again and returning to heaven, eyes were opened. Sinners learned that they were sinners. And after the invitation, some 30-40 of the 100 people in that village raised their hand to say that they had received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

The opportunity is there. And I am in a position now where there is no reason I should not go. There is nothing tying me to the States. There is nothing keeping me from the Mexicans, save for the fact that I can't speak their language. God is calling me. Oh, it wasn't loud. It wasn't some great sign from heaven. It was Ashley Hoye saying, "Pastor Jon, you really like it here don't you." It was Tim Gentry saying, "You know, Pastor Jon, I could see you doing this full-time." It was Randy Ashcraft saying, "We need workers; we need people to minister with us." It was Jesus Christ saying, "Open your eyes and look to the fields, for they are white already unto harvest. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. For lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

We sit down with the teens on the last night of our trip. Each person is sharing what God has been saying to their heart during this week. When we were almost finished, I spoke up: "Guys, I don't even know what all God has been saying to my heart this week. All I know is that I'm not ready to leave tomorrow - and I'm not sure I won't be coming back." I was so grateful to God for the way in which He directed me - that He allowed my teens to be there as He was calling me to serve Him as a missionary. I could see their faces, which were once confused as to why God was taking me away, change to a settled understanding that God has led me to go somewhere else.

July 2007 - February 2008...

I continue to pursue God's call towards Mexico. I begin to study Spanish in every way possible. I seek counsel from my parents: "What would y'all think if I went back there to Mexico full-time?" Dad: "Well, I think you already know... We just want you to follow God's will for your life, and if you think He wants you there, then you go." I talk with my pastor's about Mexico: "We're behind you, Jon. If you believe God is calling you to Mexico then we will support you. We'll be your sending church." I talk to Brother Randy about returning: "Brother, you come back down whenever you can, and stay as long as you want."

On my dad's advice, I begin to plan a 3-month trip to Mexico. I am going alone. I will be working with the Ashcrafts, helping in the church in any way I can, learning the language, and getting to know the people and culture better. To a degree, anybody can survive and even enjoy a one-week missions trip to another country. There is the excitement of the new, the fellowship of friends, and the adventure of a once-in-a-lifetime experience to keep you going. But to go alone, for an extended period of time, you will get a much more realistic picture of what life and ministry on the mission field is like. That was my goal. This trip was to determine if God wanted me going back to Mexico full-time.

March 15, 2008...

My trip begins. I quickly realize how much of the language I don't know. I have studied a lot of Spanish over the past 8 months, but when I am constantly surrounded by it and engaged in conversations with native speakers, I am struggling to keep up, but quickly learning.

April 13, 2008...

Something happens today that will change my life forever...

May 19, 2008...

What happens next in the story encompasses much of my time in Mexico and also some of the time before it. So I believe the easiest and clearest way to share this with you all is to copy some sections of a journal that I wrote on this date:

Lo Que Dios Ha Hecho

5/19/08

What follows is a record of the things God is and has been doing in my life. I can sense that my life is at a point of major change and want to record these things both as an explanation to those who ask and a clarification for my own understanding:

This story begins in September of 2007, when I understood clearly that God desired for me to end my relationship with my previous girlfriend. At that time I was very confident that that was what God was telling me and have never doubted that decision since. From that day until now, something has happened in my heart that I had been told to do before, but had never done. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure how to even do it. It is the advice that my parents have given me to go to sleep emotionally. When God created Eve for Adam, he was asleep. Adam did nothing to make the relationship between himself and Eve occur. God planned it, God did the work, and God presented His finished work to Adam. Even now, I am not sure I would explain to a person how to put their emotions to sleep; I can only share how this happened for me.

In July of 2007, I began to sense the Lord pointing me towards serving Him as a missionary to Mexico. Since that time, I have been learning Spanish, praying, planning, and preparing for a life of service in this capacity. Through the counsel of my dad and the agreement of Brother Randy Ashcraft, I began to plan a three-month exploratory trip to Mexico to prayerfully and practically consider if God is really calling me as a missionary to this country for the next stage of my life, whether it be for the rest of my life or not. Since the September that followed, my thoughts of a life’s mate have been second to my thoughts about Mexico. Oh sure, I have considered different ladies that I have met and if they could be the one God has chosen for me. The remainder of this story will be quite lengthy, for I write it in great detail. Every detail of this story has been prayed through and considered as part of God’s direction for my life. I have just spent 2 ½ hours with God alone at my spot on the mountain behind the ranch, praying and talking aloud to Him about everything He has used in the past 8 months to guide me to this quite unbelievable place in my life. Read with great care, for I write with it.

As my life began to head towards Mexico, it had a great effect on my considerations for a wife – for a like-minded wife is a key element to any minister’s success. As I began to talk with my parents, I told them this: “I don’t want to pursue anything with any girls right now. I’m about to go down to Mexico and try to decide if that’s where God wants me to go full time. I don’t want to get down there and be distracted by a relationship with a girl, or worse, to let my feelings for any certain girl affect my decision about what God wants me to do with my life.” So, though I didn’t think of this at the time, this is how I went to sleep emotionally. It wasn’t intentional. All I knew was that I had big enough things to decide right now and I didn’t need to add the decision about a wife to the list. What I was doing was putting God’s will, God’s plans, and God’s desires ahead of my own. I tried my best to push away or put off my feelings for any girl until another time, when I would try to decide what God wanted for me. Further, I told my dad this, “All I’m going to do right now is to pray about it. Here’s why. At times in the past, I have prayed something for myself that was not God’s will for me. So God, obviously, has not given it to me. But in the time that I’ve been praying, God has changed my heart’s desires, so that when He answers ‘no’, I am not let down or hurt by that answer. My prayers have not changed God’s plans for me, but they have changed my desires to His desires for me.” Actually, I remember a really neat time with my dad about two weeks before I came down here. Just before one of our evening services, he came and prayed with me during our prayer time. While he was praying, he said something like this: "And Lord, I just pray for Jonathan, that You will help Him to be patient and wait for Your plan to bring a life's partner into his life. I know how much He desires that and wants to trust You with it. You said that it is not good for a man to be alone, and You also said that You will provide all of our needs, so I pray that you will help him to trust You." And so I sleep.

My life continues towards Mexico. My plans are made. I will be leaving March 15th and returning June 7th. Before I leave for my journey, a few more important things happen, which I did not consider important until reflecting back on them tonight. One is a comment made by my parents. It was actually made several times, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. “You know, God may just bring you somebody while you’re down there in Mexico…” Once it was even followed with, “Have you thought through your beliefs on inter-racial marriage?” I remember that I kind of laughed and just agreed. My thoughts were such: “I’ve already got plenty of good choices for a wife here; I don’t need to add any more to ‘the list’.” Another very important thing that happened occurred two days before I left the States. It was a conversation I had with my sister Charity over Facebook. One day she sent me a Bible verse, Exodus 14:14, which reads, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” I did not realize until later how significant that message and that verse would become. So I leave the States, putting my desires for a wife aside.

Finally the trip begins. I arrive in Mexico and am immediately immersed in the culture and language that I have been trying so hard to learn. I realize very quickly how little I really know and how much I need to study. The first couple that I really get to spend time with is Pastor Jose Luis and his wife Mary. We begin to converse and they quickly learn that I am single and available. So the typical questions, suggestions, and jokes quickly arrive as well. They mention several girls to me, including one who will be arriving sometime during my trip, who is “muy guapa” and wants to be a missionary’s wife! I enjoy these questions as normal, but pay little attention to giving them serious consideration. My thoughts are, “Ha! Here we go again. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody that I should marry. Everybody has a sister, friend, relative, or acquaintance that ‘would be perfect’ for me.” About a month after I’ve been here, a serious conversation occurs between these two and myself, which I also don’t understand the significance of until later – tonight, in fact. We sat there after dinner as all the boys had gone on to something else. I began to look through their missionary prayer cards on the fridge as Pastor and Mary begin to tell me the stories of each one. “Those two met in college as they were studying to be missionaries. This man here was on the mission field for 4 years before he met his wife, while on furlough back in the States. And for these two here, the year that he began to pray for his future wife, when he was 16, she was born…” Then Hermana Mary looks at me very seriously and says this, “You don’t worry about her. You are here trying to serve God with your life. God will bring you a wife when He is ready; I promise you that.”

I now enter a section of this story that will seem unrelated, but bear with me – it is very related. About 4 weeks after I get down here, a church group comes down here – Cedar Creek Church from Aiken, South Carolina. Brother Randy tells me this: “Brother, you are just gonna love this church. This will be one of, if not, the best of all the groups that we will have this year. We will not have a single complaint, a single problem, or a single difficulty with them. They are a very lively, encouraging, loving people.” And he couldn’t have been more right. Cedar Creek was our family from the moment we met at the airport. This group comprised 5 couples and a few of their children. Our time with them was a combination of powerful ministry and dear fellowship as the family of Christ. The bond that was created between the 15 or 20 of us, literally, will never be broken. And even in terms of ministry partnership, this will not be the last time we hear the name Cedar Creek, as they invited both myself and Adrian Hernandez to come visit their church when we go about raising our support to come to the field full time. In fact, I asked Cedar Creek to inform me of ANY trip that they would be taking to Mexico in the future and I would see if it were possible for me to join them. Even as they left and returned home, the various team members immediately connected back with us through Facebook and have been a constant encouragement to us. Countless messages, comments, and updates from Cedar Creek kept us going through the slow times of ministry. I remember one comment in particular from Wes Holbrook which he sent to both me and Adrian: “My brothers, I just wanted you to know that I prayed specifically today for you two, that God would bring two women into your lives to support you in the ministries He has called you to.”

One week later, Brother Randy and Gwen travel to the States, this time for a month or so, to visit their supporting churches. Adrian and I move back into town with Brother Brian and therefore are more connected to the States through the internet. On April 13, I received a message from Erika Klipa, one of the married ladies from Cedar Creek. After some talk about our favorite TV show, she asks, “By the way, how old are you? I have a friend with a lovely young daughter of 17 years of age. She believes in arranged marriages.” That last part, I believe, was a joke, but I thought as usual, “Ha, here we go again. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody I should marry…” I replied: “I’m 26. Hmm…” She says, “Oh come on what’s 9 years?!?! She's really cute! AND a believer, AND raised conservative Baptist; a truly beautiful Christian young lady inside and out, with a heart for mission work.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this description of a girl that people recommend to me. And to be honest, more than half the time it’s not true, in one way or another. But coming from one of my dear friends from Cedar Creek, I believed it just as if it had come from my own family. Later that day, I got a friend request from Abby Temple with the message: “So, this is totally and completely Klipa’s doing :o)”

So life goes on as normal. A few days pass. Then one afternoon, April 17th, I have the random thought to write Abby a short message telling her who I am. However, knowing that Erika had talked to me about Abby as a possible mate, I had no doubt she had said the same to her. So before writing anything, I wanted to clarify my position to Abby. I told her that I was not pursuing any relationships right now. I further told her that if I were, I would not be talking to her, but to her father. Then I said this: “But anyway, from what Miss Erika tells me about you, there aren't many girls like you around anymore. And it could never be a waste to have friendships with godly people like you. So I would love to be able to be friends as much as is possible without having ever met you.” I tell her a bit about myself and hit ‘Send’. Now, the internet down here is quite slow. So within about 30 seconds, my message is sent and as I look at my home page, I see one new message. It is from Abby! It was a bit lengthy, as mine was. This was not a response to my message. It was a message almost exactly like what I had just sent her – “This is who I am; who are you?” This probably doesn’t sound as dramatic to anyone reading as it was to me at the time. Understand, this was 4 days after we “became friends” on Facebook. We had had no communication during those days. It was just a “random thought” I’d had to write her, which she apparently had at the exact same time. It was only the first of many strange coincidences that would happen over the next month.

As the ministry here continued, I had many opportunities to see God work and would often return home and update my family, church, and friends of what God was doing. As Abby and I began to write, it was nothing more than a normal friendship, except for the fact that we’ve never met each other. We quickly found out that we are very similar, similar in interests, family background, hobbies, tastes, and preferences. But our conversations were never just surface-deep. Not a single message went by without some kind of spiritual update, insight, or question. She truly was a godly young woman, as Miss Erika had said. As we have talked, I have continually tried to guard her heart. I know I told her at the beginning that I was not pursuing a relationship and I did not want to lead her to think that had now changed.

Oh! I can’t forget this part! About this time, I receive a message from my sister Charity. It says something like this: “I am praying for you constantly, big brother. I have been doing a lot of thinking about you lately and praying about what kind of wife you would need...”

This has been the hardest thing for me to recall/decide in my time with God tonight – when did I begin to suspect that God may be doing something in this situation with Abby and me? It is difficult to determine. As I said, none of our conversations were just surface. I would ask her deep spiritual questions. And I was constantly impressed with her answers. She obviously has a very solid grasp on the Scriptures and what God teaches us through them. In one of these questions, I asked her, “How should we reach sinners? What is the best way to witness? Should we be friends with sinners? How can we reach sinners without damaging our testimony with other believers? Big questions, I know. I just wanna hear your thoughts, your philosophy I guess, or maybe your theology, of witnessing. Anyway, just let me know what you think; I'm really curious.” Her answers to all of these questions were impeccable! First of all, they were totally based on Scripture and the example of Jesus Christ. Secondly, they were exactly the same as my own convictions and I couldn’t have answered my own questions better! As I read her answers, I could detect the incredible passion and burden she carries for the lost. And as best I can tell, this is when I began to suspect that God had brought this girl into my life for a very special purpose. This girl’s desire to be a missionary was not some childhood Christian fantasy. This was a living, breathing, live-giving desire that only God Himself could give. This is the call that God has placed on her life. This is the kind of girl that a missionary should pursue as a life’s partner!

Now my thoughts begin to race. All of these things that I have considered insignificant or even forgotten about come flooding back into my mind: “God may bring you somebody while you’re down in Mexico…When I pray, God changes my desires to His desires for me…God will bring you a wife when He is ready; I promise you that…I prayed specifically today for you, that God would bring a woman into your life…a truly beautiful Christian young lady inside and out, with a heart for mission work…there aren't many girls like you around anymore…I am praying for you constantly, big brother…” I know that I’m often a hard-headed person and God sometimes has to hit me in the head with something many times before I get it. But during my time here, one of the main things I’ve been learning is how to listen to God in a very real, moment-to-moment basis. So how many things does God have to say to get my attention?

So now I sit here in another country, trying to follow the call that God has been confirming for me here, and I find myself wondering what God is doing for me back in the States. I think of the verse Charity gave me, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” This is the thing that baffles my mind about this whole situation – I have done nothing to make it happen. I have not pursued a relationship with Abby. I have not tried to make Abby like me. I have not tried to convince myself that Abby is a good, godly girl. God showed me that clearer than anything through her own words. Tonight, I write all of this to help me understand what God has been doing.

I do not know how to describe specifically how God is leading me towards Abby. But as I have thought through all of this tonight, I realize that God has directed me in this exact same way before! In essence, it is a feeling. It is a feeling that is based on a combination of opportunities and God-ordained situations and godly counsel. This is the best way I can describe it: This is the way I felt last June, when I began to suspect that God wanted me to come here to Mexico full-time. The opportunity was there. God used situations to lead me back this way. And all godly counsel I received was in agreement that I should pursue this. And I just felt that it was what God wanted. So it is with Abby. The opportunity is there. This is why God led me to push this decision until after I got back from Mexico. God has used situations, both to introduce me to her, to get to know her, and to hear her heart for the Lord. And thus far, all godly counsel has said that this could be from God. I still can’t explain how God has done this. To describe it as a feeling seems trivial. To describe it as a sign from God seems to lack solid proof. So I pray that God will confirm this in a way that only He can.

This is the process I must go through now. My frustration in all of this has been that I can’t explain it in a way that makes sense, humanly speaking. So I fear going home and seeking counsel about this and appearing like I’m making some kind of emotional decision. Here is what I prayed to God tonight: “God I don’t know how to explain this in a way that makes sense. You have been putting all of this together and have just thrown it into my life. So I’m going to assume and pray that you will also put all of it together and just throw it into the lives of those I will be seeking counsel from.”

And thus my story continues. Tonight, I feel like Adam, waking up from his sleep and turning to observe this incredible work that God has done for him. And now, I wait to see what God will do to complete His work...

May 25, 2008...

It is only a couple more weeks before I leave Mexico and return home. Brother Randy has asked me if I could stay through July to help out with the last of the church groups that will be coming down this year, but I told him that I have to get back to work, so I can keep up paying the rent for my apartment in Illinois. Well, then he mentions to me that during one week, there will be two church groups coming on the same week and they could use someone who speaks Spanish well enough to take one of the groups, if we do different things that week. So I told him that I would check my finances when I get home and see if I can make it back for that week.

A month or so earlier, Abby and I had been talking about foreign missions trips. She told me she had never been out of the country, but that she and her best friend Kaylee were talking about taking a missions trip together sometime. She then writes, "So today the college pastor at Cedar Creek just randomly came up to Kaylee and me and asked if we would like to go to Mexico with them this summer." I didn't know when or where they were going but said, "Yeah, you should definitely go on that, if you can." As time went by, she and Kaylee prayed through that decision and both of them decided that they would be going on the trip.

As we got talking a bit more about her trip, we realized that Cedar Creek was one of those two churches coming during the week in July when I was praying about coming back. I would have the chance to meet Abby face to face! I remember telling the Ashcrafts, "This doesn't just depend on money anymore. I'm gonna need to see what my parents and Abby's parents think about all of this before I decide if I can come back that week."

June 10-25, 2008...

I return from Mexico and fly to Pennsylvania to spend two weeks with my family. I begin by checking my bank account expecting not to have much there for my possible return trip to Mexico. Much to my surprise, there is money there! I check my records only to find an unexpected $600 tax return deposited directly into my checking account. God used the U.S. government to pay for my trip back!

I talk with Mom and Dad about Abby, share my journal with them, and they counsel me to write her parents. So I begin to write Abby's dad. I ask him if he approves of Abby and me writing each other and what he thinks about what's going on between us. Here is what he wrote to me: "I would like you to know that Mrs.Temple and I are both very comfortable with you and Abby continuing to communicate and I look forward to meeting you in person soon. I also hope
you are able to return to Mexico while Abby is on the mission trip there in July...let me say that some of the desires expressed below are going to sound presumptuous and/or premature, but I share these because they are very important to me...It seems to me that God has introduced you and Abby to each other in this unusual method for something special, likely something more than just as friends..."

A few days later, Abby's mom shared another story with me through Facebook. Here is what she told me: "One day back in April, Abby walked into my room and shared with me a renewed call to missions. She first felt called to missions when she was 12, but God had been working on her again that day. She had so many questions about how and when and where and am I going alone? Then a few days later she came into my room again with questions about guys. After a lengthy discussion about how all the guys she knows are very shallow and unfocused on God's will, I told her something that I just really felt God wanted me to say: 'Abby, I don't think your husband lives here in Aiken. In fact, I don't believe you've met your husband yet. And I certainly don't think you'll have to go looking for him. God is going to bring him along and just drop him into your life.' " Then get this - later on THAT SAME DAY, Erika Klipa (Laura's best friend), just back from her trip to Mexico, walked in to the Temple's kitchen with Laura and Abby and says: "Say, Abby, I've met the cutest guy! He's a missionary in Mexico. You should write him..." Laura told me that she didn't realize the significance of those two conversations they'd just had until later.

This is what I prayed for; this is what I asked God for - that if this were His will, He would confirm that through our parents, our authorities. Now I knew. God created Abby and me to be together. He had led us both into His will for us individually, and now He was leading us into our life together. I hadn't met her yet! But I knew.

July 10, 2008...

I fly out of Chicago at 5:45 AM. At By 8:30, I arrive in Houston and head to my gate to meet up with the group from Cedar Creek. As God would have it, He allowed Erika Klipa, the one who introduced me to Abby, to be there for the trip as well and to capture on video the moment I first met my bride-to-be. It was an incredible day!

The week was just as amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my brothers and sisters of Iglesia Bautista La Fe as well as spending time with the Ashcrafts, Cedar Creek, and Abby and Kaylee and Erika.

July 17, 2008...

We are back in the States and back at our homes. I wrote Abby's dad to tell him my view of Abby after spending a week finally together with her: "Tom, I know that we've done a lot of talking about Abby and I did have a really good idea of what she was like before meeting her, but to meet her face to face and spend time with her, especially discussing different aspects of her life and spending time together in the Word and prayer, was just unbelievable. I mean that quite literally. I had a hard time believing that I was actually there with her, that she was really as wonderful and deeply spiritual as I'd thought. Here is my perception of what I saw in Abby last week. She has such a dynamic personality. She finds so much joy in the little things of life. She encourages and inspires everyone around. She spreads a smile to every face she sees. She is a hard worker and she enjoys that work as well. Barely a meal went by that I didn't see her and Kaylee in the kitchen, helping to prepare the meals or clean up afterwards. She has a heart for children. She was often with the Ashcraft kids, helping care for them, or with the kids in the villages or the church. She has a heart for God. It was so beautiful to hear her read and discuss the Bible. It is obvious that she has had a lot of practice in that before. And to hear her pray - wow, that was just incredible. Needless to say, I was not mislead or let down... But I'll tell you what "sealed the deal" for me, so to speak. This one afternoon, we were sitting in the dining room at the ranch with Klipa, Kaylee, Eric, Miss Gwen, and I think Jordan or Meredith or someone. And I just started firing questions at Abby. I mean I asked her about her sisters and what they're like, her family and the times you guys have spent together, the places she's lived, the friends she has, the churches she goes to, the place she works, and just anything else I could think to ask. And even though I've heard her talk about some of those things through messages and stuff on Facebook, it was completely different to hear her actually speak of them. You know how they say 90% of communication is non-verbal, or something like that? That's the idea of all this. It just hit me as I was sitting there listening to her talk. It hit me how grown up and mature she is, how deeply she feels for her sisters, her family, and the things of God, how much time she has really spent in prayer, how well she really knows God's Word. I just sat there listening. I didn't talk much at all. We were all there together for probably 2 hours or so. It was like God just sat right down there beside me and was going, "Look at this girl. Isn't she incredible? Can't you see how much she loves me? Listen to her talk about what's important to her..." and on and on. I've said it before (I'm not sure if I said it to you or someone else) that I don't deserve Abby, but after hearing her open up her heart that day, I knew I don't. To think that this could be God's gift to me as a life's partner overwhelms my heart with gratefulness. That afternoon confirmed a lot of things for me. And then the rest of things were confirmed in the times we spent together in prayer and the Bible. Laura told me about the strength of her prayer life. I could tell from Abby's own words that she has a solid grasp on the Scriptures because of spending so much time in them. And when I could hear her read God's Word and talk to her Father in prayer, it was so real. Bottom line, you have a wonderful daughter. I know that God gets all the praise and glory for making her into that beautiful treasure, but you and Laura have done a fine job modeling Christianity and godliness for her. She is so special to me."

August 2, 2008...

I am talking to Abby on Facebook when she says, "So, I've got an early birthday present for you. Do you wanna know what it is?" So I said, "Well, I don't know. How am I gonna get it? Mail? Email? Phone?" She says, "Well... in person." "What?!?" Abby says, "My mom just walked in the room and my parents want to pay for you to come see us for your birthday. Would you wanna do that?" What do you think I said?

August 5, 2008...

I called my parents and told them all about Abby and the trip. My dad told me this: "Well, son..." He paused for a long time. I could tell he was trying not to cry (just like me!) "This may sound really strange to you, coming from me.... but if you get back from that week with her family and her parents don't have any hesitations, Mom and I don't think you need to drag this out with some long engagement." Again, God was confirming this through my parents.

August 9-17, 2008...

Abby's family is wonderful! She has two older brothers and three younger sisters, all three adopted from China. Her family was like family to me right from the day we met.

The second night I was there, Tom sat down with me and Laura and Abby and we talked through everything that was going on and what we believed God was directing for our future. After a few questions, Tom shared his heart with us through tears: "Ever since our children were born, I have been praying for their future spouses. And I have prayed two things for them. One, that they would come from a strong, Christian family, like yours is Jonathan. And two, that they would have the kind of relationship that her mother and I have had all of our lives. Our relationship is just fun, relaxed, caring, Christ-centered, loving, and a delight to be together. And we can see already that that is the type of relationship that you and Abby have. I can't ask for anything more. So we want you two to know that we bless your relationship. You have our full blessing to pursue marriage, and praise the Lord!" God confirmed His will for us through our parents.

August 31, 2008...

Where God guides, He provides. I have been working long hours trying to save up for an engagement ring, while paying bills and everything else. Today, I got a message from Jane Stephens, a lady I met at Abby's church in Aiken. She shared with me how much Abby means to her and her family, being friends with their daughter for most of her life. Then she says this: "Now to get to the point of this email. I am really writing for my wonderful husband, Greg. He feels led by God to offer to assist you in obtaining the funds needed to buy the engagement ring for Abby that you are wanting to give her. It would be a blessing for us to be used of God in this way. If you will accept our help, please email me with the details of the amount of money you need in order to buy the ring." They did help me and I bought the ring.

September 19, 2008...

Today my family will meet the Temple's. My sister Tiffany is living in Greenville, SC and will be performing in the musical Annie tonight. After much secretive planning, my family, the Temple's, and I will all be meeting up and going to the play tonight. My brother and sisters don't know I'm coming; Abby doesn't know her brothers are coming up from Charleston; and only my parents and her parents know that I'll be proposing tonight!

My sister tells me of a beautiful park right next to the theater where I could pop the question. So we get the plan all set. We'll send my brother Christopher ahead to the park with a video camera and he'll hide next to this swing beside the river and waterfalls where I'll take Abby off for a walk and ask her to marry me at the river's edge.

So we meet my family. My brother and sisters are surprised. Dad tells them I'm proposing tonight. I tell Christopher to follow me to the bathroom when we get to Chili's for dinner. Abby's brothers show up at the mall before dinner. Abby is surprised. We go to Chili's with both families and everyone meets each other. I sneak off to the bathroom and tell Christopher the plan. "...Across the bridge, down concrete steps on the left, down the stone steps, across the footbridge, to the swing, to the river's edge, to one knee and propose..."

After dinner, Abby's brothers "have to drive home" so we all say goodbye to them and head to the theater. We get there and I whisper to Abby, "Oh this is really pretty! I wanna go for a walk." So I ask Dad, "Hey is it ok if Abby and I go for a walk before the play starts?" So we walk off. But Abby goes down the wrong steps to the river. I have to think fast: "Oh no, now I've gotta find those stone steps!" We calmly walk around along the river, as I'm frantically looking for those stone steps. Then I saw them, "Hey look, stone steps!" (Oops, I was just thinking outloud). We head across the footbridge and I see our empty swing. Just then, two people head over and take it. Oh no! Now what! There is an empty bench a little further along. We head over there and sit for a while. I've got to give Christopher time to move over to where we are. I'm looking around but can't see him anywhere. Soon, the swing is empty. "Hey let's go sit on the swing. Those people finally left." As we walk there, Abby spots Christopher hiding behing a trashcan nearby! Oh no, think, think, think... She says, "Did they send someone to spy on us?" She'd helped me out. A few minutes later I said, "Is that the girls over there? Are they really spying on us?" We walk to the river's edge. I say completely casually, "Baby... will you marry me?" She kinda froze and looked at me, a little confused. She smiled, "What do you think?" I pulled the ring from my pocket and said, "No... Abby Michele... will you marry me?", kneeling in the muddy grass. She said yes! So I sent my parents a text message that read: "She said yes! Y'all get over here!" Soon we heard them all coming through the park, down the stone steps, yelling, whistling the wedding march, and letting the whole park know we'd just gotten engaged. Smiles, laughs, and tears came when Abby realized that her brothers hadn't left yet, but came back to congratulate her...

This whole time has been a real journey - but it's only the beginning. This is our journey to the beginning. Our life together will begin on May 16th of next year, but our story will continue in obedience to God's call to Mexico and through a life of service to Him for as long as He leaves us on the earth. This is what happens when God writes a love story - a beautiful beginning and an even more beautiful ending!

Big News

2008-09-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've updated all of you through this blog. But I've got some big, exciting news to share with you all: Two days ago on Friday, September 19th, I asked Abby Michele Temple to marry me and she accepted! We're engaged!

I'm not exaggerating or over-spiritualizing it when I say that God has brought her into my life to be my wife. The love story that God has been writing for us over the past 5 months is quite unbelievable and honestly feels like a dream sometimes. But it is all real, clear, and powerful. I will be posting the full story here shortly, because I want all of you to know what God has done for us. He deserves all the praise and glory for this work of His and I want Him to receive more praise by sharing this story with anyone who wants to read it.

Stay tuned. It will be quite a ride...

Sunday School Message #9

2008-05-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Well, today is our last Sunday to meet together. I want to tell you all that it has been a privilege to study God’s Word together with you and I look forward to more opportunities we will have to interact in the years to come. Today we are studying the final, and most important, aspect of “How to Think Like Jesus.” Today we are going to study A Heart for Love. Let’s begin in prayer…

8. A Heart for Love
a. Mat.22:37-40
- We’re reminded of the importance of love in Jesus reply to the lawyer in Matthew 22. “Jesus said unto him…” Jesus said that all of the laws of God hang on those two commands – to love God and love others. Today we’re going to focus on the second of those commands. What does the Bible have to say about loving others? How did our Lord Jesus treat others? Because as always, we need to follow our Lord’s example.

b. Jn.13:34-35
- This passage is the first time that Jesus commanded His disciples to love each other. He says, “A new commandment…” Two things in this passage are very important. Jesus says that we should love each other as He has loved us. This is the best way to describe our love for each other in one phrase. We should love others the way Jesus loves them – the way He loves us. We need to see people the way He sees them. They are not just another irritation; not just another person to get in the way of our lives. They are a special treasure that Jesus cherishes. We ought to love others the way Jesus loves them. The second thing that is important is verse 35. Jesus says, “By this shall all men know…” We have talked often about the importance of our testimony as a Christian. Jesus tells us here that if we love each other, the world will know that we are His disciples. This is probably the most important motivation we have for loving others – the world will know that we are His disciples.

c. Jn.15:9-13,17
In this next passage, Jesus repeats His command for us to love each other and explains it to us more. “As the Father…” Notice, if you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love. Again we see the connection between obeying God’s law and loving others. In verse 11, we learn that loving others is the key to having joy in our lives. “These things have I spoken…” And in verse 13, Jesus tells us the ultimate demonstration of love – to give one’s life for his friends. Very soon after Jesus spoke this, His disciples would understand exactly what He was saying and exactly how much He loved them. Then notice in verse 17, Jesus repeats His command. “These things I command you…” Remember that anytime the Bible repeats something, it is because we need to take special notice of it. We are commanded by our Lord to love others.

d. Jn.17:21-26
We have looked several times at Jesus prayer to His Father in John 17. In these verses, Jesus prays the same things to His Father that he taught to His disciples. “That they may all be one…that the world may believe…the love…may be in them.” So we see that Jesus didn’t only teach these things to His disciples. He prayed that they would follow them.

e. Rom.12:10
Look now at Romans 12:10. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Be kindly affectioned…” Notice he says that we should have “brotherly love” for each other. As Christians, we are a family. We ought to have the same love for each other that a family has for each other. And then he explains this by saying, “In honor preferring one another…” This is a very simple explanation of how we can love others – we prefer their needs above our own.

f. Rom.13:8-10; Gal.5:14
These next two passages talk more about how love fulfills the law in relation to those around us. “Owe no man…” And Gal.5:14 says, “All the law…” Love does no evil to another person. It’s simple.

g. Eph.4:1-2; 5:1-2
But you say, “It can’t be that simple. If I treat people like that then they will just walk all over me. They will treat me badly, because they know that I will not treat them badly in return.” What does the Bible say about that? Look at Ephesians 4. “I therefore…” Notice the words in verse 2 – lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing. Yes, when you love somebody the way Christ loves us, you may be hurt at times. You may be mistreated. But wasn’t Christ? When Christ was mistreated and hurt, did He ever respond by hurting others? No. He was humble. He was longsuffering. We’ve seen in passages already that we are to love others the way that Christ loved us! We are to be humble, longsuffering, meek, and forbearing. And notice chapter 5, “Be ye therefore…” When we love others the way that Christ loved us, we are being “followers of God, as dear children.” We are “walking in love.” We are giving “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.”

h. Phil.2:2-5
We studied this next passage when we were talking about humility. But look again at how it also describes our relationship with others. “Fulfill ye my joy…” Did you see the phrases “like-minded”, “having the same love”, “lowliness of mind”, “esteem others.” Those same attitudes that have been described by other passages in the Bible are also true about our love. And look at verse 5, “Let this mind be in you…” This is the mind of Christ.

i. I Cor.13
For our last passage today, we are going to read the most famous passage on love in all the Scriptures: I Corinthians 13. “Though I speak…” Let’s break down this powerful passage and examine the many aspects of love. Verse 1 – Love is more important than our gifts, talents, or abilities. Verse 2 – Love is more important than our knowledge or our faith. Verse 3 – Love is more important than our good deeds. Verse 3 – Love suffers long. Again we see this principle of suffering in relation to our love. It is not always easy to love, but it is always commanded. Love does not envy. Envy wants what somebody else has so much that you even wish they didn’t have it. A relationship, a family, a house, a car – these are all things that we can envy. But love does not envy. Love does is not puffed up. Love does not exalt itself before others. Love does not show off. Love is not proud. Verse 5 – Love is not rude. Love considers others above itself and acts in a way that does not offend others. Love does not seek her own. We’ve seen this in several verses now. Love seeks the good of others above itself. Love is not easily provoked. It is not made angry easily. If you love somebody, you will not be constantly getting angry with them. Love thinks no evil. Verse 6 – Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. If somebody loves you, they will not tempt you to sin. They will not encourage you to lie. They will not hinder your spiritual life, but they will help you to grow. Verse 7 – Love bears all things. Again we see the idea of longsuffering. Love believes all things. Every love relationship is based on trust. Love trusts in those it loves. Love hopes all things. Love is always seeking the good of those it loves. It hopes for their best and brightest future. Love endures all things. No matter what hardship if goes through, love will always come out on top. Love can never be taken away by circumstances or situations. It endures all things. Verse 8 – Unlike many other things, love will never end. And finally verse 13 – Now we live our lives with three things – faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.

Today’s lesson was very short. But that is because this teaching about love is very simple. We must love others as Christ loved us. We must have the same mind as Christ had. Young people, love one another. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Conclusion: This has been a wonderful time for us to study together over the past two months. I thank you all for your faithfulness, your attention, your participation, and I pray that as I go back to the States for a while, that you will all remember the things that we have studied. I pray that you will all be able to think like Christ. I pray that you will make your decisions, during these important years of your teenage lives, the way that Jesus would. So remember, to think like Jesus, you must have a heart for the lost, a heart for prayer, a heart for God’s will, a heart for others, a heart for purity, a heart for service, a heart for faith, and most of all, a heart for love. Let’s pray…

Sunday School Message #8

2008-05-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Let’s begin… Until now in our study on “How to Think Like Jesus”, we have studied about having “A Heart for the Lost”, “A Heart for Prayer”, “A Heart for God’s Will”, “A Heart for Others”, “A Heart for Purity”, and “A Heart for Service”. What we’re going to study today is “A Heart for Faith”. We have a lot of verses to look at today, so let’s begin in prayer.

7. A Heart for Faith
a. Phil.3:10; Psalm 119:11; Jn.17:3
- I want to start by asking you this question? How can you have faith in something that you do now know? You can’t. If you want to increase your faith as a Christian, the best thing you can do it so study God’s Word. The more you know God’s Word, the more you understand how the different doctrines of Scripture work together. The more you know the teachings of Christ, the more you have faith in His promises and His faithfulness. The Bible says, “Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Jesus Himself says, “…this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” I want to share with you my life’s verse, Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” That is what I want for my life. My goal in life is to know my God and my Savior. I want to experience the power of His resurrection. I want to experience the fellowship of His sufferings. And at the end of my life I want to be made conformable to His death. I can think of no greater honor than to give my life for my Lord.

b. Js.2:14-26
- Ok, let me give you an example of the importance of the knowledge of God’s Word. I want to ask you a few questions and I want some of you to answer them. Does faith save a person or works? Faith? Faith alone? So our works have nothing to do with our salvation? Then let me read a passage for you. “What does it profit, my brethren…” Somebody explain that to me. Did the Bible just contradict itself? This is why Bible knowledge is so important. Suppose you were trying to witness to a Catholic and as you’re telling them that they don’t have to do the works that Catholics teach will save people, that person quotes this passage to you. What would you say? Here is the answer. Faith and works always work together. The Bible is very clear in other passages that faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. The key to this passage is verse 18: “…I will show you my faith by my works…” It is faith alone that saves, but then that faith, if it is genuine, will always produce good works in a creyente’s life. Do you understand? Faith is essential to salvation; works are the evidence of faith. So we need to recognize the need for a solid understanding of God’s Word in order to have faith.

c. I Tim.1:5,18-19;
In this passage, the Apostle Paul is giving advice to the young pastor Timothy, whom he had taught personally. We’ve talked about this before. Now listen to the advice that Paul gives in these passages. “Now the end of the commandment…” And then in verses 18 and 19, “This charge I commit unto thee…” He tells his disciple to fight a good fight, holding two weapons – faith and a good conscience. This verse shows us the importance of our faith. If Paul, a mighty man of God, sent out his young disciple with only two weapons, they must be the two most important things in all of his Christian life.

d. I Tim.4:12; I Tim.6:12; II Tim.4:7
- But you say, “How can I have that kind of faith? I’m just a teenager.” What did the apostle Paul tell to his disciple Timothy? “Let no man…” He said, “Be an example…in faith.” I want you all to understand this. I’ve told you before that your teenage years are some of the most important years of your lives. Right now, you are becoming the person you are going to be. And Paul’s challenge to Timothy is a challenge to us also. He says that we should be an example to those older than us in our speech, our conduct, our love, our faith, and our purity. If you were to look through the Scriptures and study the lives of the great men of faith, you will see that the majority of those men began studying God’s Word and living for Him when they were a youth – great men like Joseph, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I pray for all of you to be great men and women of God one day, so you need to begin developing your faith now while you are a youth.

- The notice that Paul also tells Timothy that faith is a fight. He writes in I Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith…” And in II Timothy 4, we have the final recorded words of this great man of God before he was killed for his faith. He wrote, “I have fought…” He fought the fight, he finished the course, and most importantly to him, he kept the faith. Until the end of his life, Paul’s greatest priority was his faith.

e. I Jn.5:4
- Listen to what this verse says about our faith. “…this is the victory…” It is through our faith that we can conquer the world. The world is constantly attacking us with lies. The devil wants to destroy our faith in God, the Bible, and Christianity. Paul says that our faith is what will give us victory over the world and its lies. In our society, we are constantly being faced with new lies. I don’t know how things are here in Mexico, but in the States, we are hearing new lies all of the time. About two years ago, a man named Dan Brown wrote a mystery novel called, “The DaVinci Code”. Have you all heard of that? It was then made into a movie last year. This book had a story that was very interesting and well-written. But in the middle of the book, it tries to convince the characters in the book and the readers that Jesus was not the Son of God. It teaches that Jesus was secretly married to Marry Magdalene and they had a child together. That teaching is blasphemy! It is against everything that the Bible teaches. Even now in the States, there have been three books written for children that are trying to tell them that there is no God. They teach children not to believe anything their parents teach them about God. They teach children that the church is just a bunch of old people trying to control what they do. The author of these books said that with these books, he is trying to destroy God. They are currently being made into movies also, because that is what most kids today watch. The first of these is called “The Golden Compass”, and the second is in production right now. Young people, you need to have a solid, confident understanding of God’s Word, so that you will not be deceived by these kinds of lies that Satan is throwing into our world.

f. I Pt.1:5-9
- The Bible says that faith is to believe in things that we cannot see. Listen to this passage about how our faith will one day be realized. “…who are kept by the power…” This passage says that the trial of your faith is more precious that gold. When your faith is challenged, it helps you to grow. If somebody challenges something you believe in, you must go to the Bible and study it and find the truth.

g. Js.1:3-6
- Look now at James chapter 1. This verse says something similar to the last passage. “Knowing this, that the…” Notice two things from this passage. First, “…they trying of your faith works patience…” When God brings trials into our lives, we often don’t understand why. We often feel mistreated. We feel like God made a mistake. But we learn from this passage that many times God uses trials to increase our patience. Second, notice that faith is the key element in prayer. We must pray in faith – faith in God’s sovereignty, faith in God’s promises, and faith in God’s power. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering…”

h. Matt.17:20
- This next passage is one of the most well-known of all passages on faith. Jesus Christ tells us, “If you have faith as a grain…” You will be able to move mountains. The Lord Himself says, “…nothing will be impossible to you.” Let me ask you this. When was the last time you asked God for something that only He could do? When was the last time you saw God do something that was impossible in our eyes? Have you ever seen that? If you haven’t, I challenge you to do so. Think of something that only God can do and pray for that until He answers! Don’t give up too soon. I believe that one of the main reasons that we don’t have our prayers answered is that we give up too soon. Maybe it is a family member who needs to know Jesus as their Savior. Maybe it’s a financial problem. Find something. Pray for it. Put your faith to the test and watch God show Himself faithful.

i. Heb.10:38; 11
- One more passage and we’re done. I want to close by reading to you a very powerful chapter of Scripture. In the book of Hebrews chapter 10, we read, “…the just shall live by faith…” and the author continues on to write about many heroes of the Bible who showed their great faith in God. Listen as I read: “Now faith is the substance…” Young people, your name could be written there right beside those people. You can be men and women of faith. You also can be people “of whom the world is not worthy”. And I pray that you will be.

Conclusion: So our study today really has two points. If we are going to think like Jesus, we must have a heart for faith. And if we’re going to have a strong faith, we must be in God’s Word daily and have a strong understanding of its teachings. We need to grow in our faith, study God’s Word, and prove through our works that we are Christians. Let’s pray…

The Ministry of Reconciliation - II Cor.5:18-21

2008-05-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Tipo de Sermón: Expositivo

Titulo: El Ministerio de la Reconciliación

Texto: II Corintios 5:18-21

Tema/complemento: Dios nos ha dado el ministerio de la reconciliación

Asunto: Estamos aquí satisfacer el ministerio de la reconciliación

Propósito del Orador: Quiero motivar mi audiencia tomar parte del ministerio de la reconciliación
Interrogativo: ¿Porque debemos satisfacer el ministerio de la reconciliación?

Transición: Debemos satisfacer el ministerio de la reconciliación porque es comandado, es temporal, y es bendito.

“The Ministry of Reconciliation”

“Good afternoon, brothers. Thank you for coming this afternoon. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to preach to you from this pulpit, where so many men of God and missionaries have preached in the past years. I do not feel worthy of this honor – I am nobody – but I am very excited about what I believe God wants to say to all of us today. I am here to preach God’s Word to you. I am not here to share my own thoughts, opinions, or ideas. If I was, we should all just go home now, because nothing I say is important. But today I have the opportunity to be God’s messenger and to communicate His message to us. So if you would, please open your Bibles to the book of II Corinthians. As you are turning there, I want to ask you a question:

Why are we here?
- Why are you here? The answer to that question could be different for every person in the world, could it not? Some people are here to make money. Their goal in life, their only purpose for living, is to make money. How much? Nobody knows, but it’s always more. Some people are here to have a family. Their purpose for living is to get married, raise children, buy a home, and provide for their family. Some people are here for fame. Their purpose for living is to be well-known among men. They may do this through a life of sports and athletics, movies and Hollywood, politics and government, or business and enterprise. Some people are here for love. Their purpose in life is to find love in relationships with another people. Some people are here for people. Their purpose is to help mankind, improve the world, and change the society. These are all purposes that people could have for their lives. Some are more noble than others. But in this church today, I am preaching to believers. I know that the majority of you know Jesus as your Savior. And therefore, every one of us in this church have the same purpose for living, according to this passage that we’re going to study tonight.
- So you are probably all thinking “The Great Commission”. Well, I’m not going to preach about the Great Commission tonight, not because it’s not important, but because the guys told me, “All of the gringos who come preach on the Great Commission!” Ah, right? I mean, you all know why, don’t you? I promise you that it’s not because we think you’re all simple, ok? I’m serious. That’s not why. I believe that all of the gringos, all the Americans, all the preachers from the States preach on the Great Commission because that it what’s on our minds. That is the reason that we have come to your country – to obey the commandment of our Lord! The Bible says in Matthew 28, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Amen.” God’s Word says in Acts 1, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” When Americans come here to Mexico, it is because we want to fulfill the Great Commission.
- But tonight, I want to talk to you about something more basic. Oh it is related to the Great Commission, but it does not have the same focus of going “into all the world”. Tonight, we’re going to study together a passage that describes the most basic responsibility of every believer in Christ. Tonight, we are going to find out, if we don’t already know, “Why are we here?” The answer is this: We are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation!

- We’re going to read together II Corinthians chapter 5, verses 18-21. Let’s stand together in honor of God’s Word. Everyone together, “All of this comes from God…” May God bless the reading of His Word. Let’s pray… “Our Father, we give you thanks for the opportunity to study Your Word this afternoon. I ask that you would give us wisdom tonight as we study this passage. I ask that you would open our eyes to the responsibility that you have given us here on this earth. I ask that you would speak through me, that you would teach us, and that you would motivate us to fulfill the purpose for which you have left us here on the earth. I ask you to give me Your words; help me to speak your message clearly, for I know I can do nothing without you. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.”

- We are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation. My purpose in this message is to motivate us as Christians to fulfill this wonderful ministry God has given us. In this passage, we learn three things about this ministry of reconciliation. We learn that the ministry is commanded, the ministry is temporary, and the ministry is blessed. So let’s begin with the first point of this passage in verse 18

I. The Ministry Is Commanded (v.18a)
- We see this fact in the phrase, “Now all these things are from God…” That means that they are…

a. By the Will of God (v.18)
- “All these things” – What things? Look at verse 17 – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” The whole work of reconciliation is from God. It is by the will of God, not the will of man.
- “Sinners cannot decide to be reconciled to God and devise a plan to reach Him. That is what all false religion in the world is. All the world’s false religions are the same thing – sinners devising a way to be reconciled to God. Christianity is God determining a way to be reconciled to sinners. God alone can change our relationship, and that’s the good news, ‘God so loved the world that He’ made a way of reconciliation.” Notice also that the ministry is literally…

b. By the Command of God (Mat.28:19-20;Ac.1:8;Tit.1:1-3)
- You know the Great Commission – “Go therefore and make disciples…” “You will be my witnesses…” Is that an option or a command? It is a command! Jesus didn’t say, “Well, I’d really like it if you would go out and made disciples.” He didn’t say, “Would you like to be my witnesses?” No! He said, “Go!” He said, “You WILL be my witnesses.” Brothers, the ministry of reconciliation is commanded! Tell me this, if you can. Where did we receive the idea that we can control our own lives? Does anybody know? I don’t know, but it’s not from the Bible! What does the Bible say? “…You are not your own…You have been bought with a price...Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.” My brothers, we are not servants of Christ – we are His slaves! Slave is the word in the original Greek text. Young people, do you remember this? We talked about this in Sunday School last week. A servant is one who places himself in a position to serve another by his own will. A slave has no choice. A slave has been purchased by his master. A slave must do everything his master commands. Brothers, we are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation! Notice also that the ministry of reconciliation is commanded…

c. By the Heart of God (Lk.19:10; Mat.4:19; Ez.34:16)
- Luke 19:10 tells us that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” When Jesus called His disciples in Matthew 4:10, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Listen to this passage from Ezekiel 34, “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick…” It is the heart of God to seek sinners. When Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden, we don’t see Adam walking through the garden saying, “God, God, where are you?” No, it was God saying, “Adam, Adam, where are you?”
- God has always been the seeker of men. And when our Lord returned to heaven, He commanded us to carry on his ministry, the ministry of reconciliation. We are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation. Notice now in our passage, the second point; that…

II. The Ministry Is Temporary (v.18b-20)
- I want to read you a quotation from one of my favorite pastors and theologians, Dr. John MacArthur. When I was the youth pastor at Cornerstone in Illinois, I often tried to explain this concept to my teens, but was never able to put it into words this clearly. Listen to this, Dr. MacArthur says…

"You know, Christianity can get very complex. Your Christian life can get very complex. Your Christian calendar can get very complex. And so, If I might, I'd like to simplify everything and pull it down to the irreducible minimum of what it is that you're all about and I'm all about as Christians. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. It is simply this: Our duty is to tell people they can be reconciled to God. That's what we do. Our mission is to preach the fact that God will forgive all someone's sins forever. That the relationship of hostility and hatred and enmity and bitterness and alienation from God can be totally changed - that enemies can become friends, aliens can become sons. That is the good news...The good news is that alienation from a holy God, which carries the price of eternal damnation, can end, and you can be reconciled with God and enjoy His glorious heaven forever, all your sin having been dealt with. Our high calling and our high privilege is simply to tell people that God will forgive all your sins forever. Are you interested? This is what we live for; this is what we preach for; this is what we teach for; that people might be reconciled to God...That's what we do. That's why we're here. Folks, that's the only reason you're here at all! If we had been saved purely for fellowship with God, we might as well go to heaven, because the fellowship here isn't what it ought to be. If we were saved purely for fellowship with each other, we might as well go to heaven where it is perfect, because it's imperfect here. If we were saved to have triumph over sin, we might as well go to heaven, because the triumph here is severely checkered, isn't it? And we all live in Romans 7 somewhere - wanting to do what we don't do and not wanting to do what we find ourselves doing. We've here because there's one thing we can do here that we can't do in heaven, and that's the ministry of reconciliation...That term defines the heart and soul of our responsibility as believers in the world..."

- Look once again at verses 18-20. These verses describe for us exactly what the ministry of reconciliation is. Verse 18 says, “…who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…” So this ministry is only done through Christ – through His power and through his work on the cross. Verse 19, “namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…” This is literally how a righteous, holy God can allow sinners like us into heaven. He cannot overlook or ignore our sins, but He does not count them against us. He satisfied His judgment against sin when Christ bore that punishment on our behalf. And this is literally how we should present the gospel to people – that God will not count their sins against them if they accept the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We have already seen in Acts 1 that…

a. We Are the Witnesses (Acts 1)
- In that passage that Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth…” Geographically, that would be as if Jesus said to this church, “You will be my witnesses in Jiménez, and in all Chihuahua, and in Mexico, and to the remotest part of the earth.” This ministry is temporary, but we are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation. We are to be witnesses everywhere we go. This is the only reason we are here. Jesus also described our temporary role in the ministry of reconciliation in the Sermon on the Mount when he called us…

b. We Are the Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)
-“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” This passage teaches that our ministry of reconciliation includes the way we live our life. A girl friend of mine in the States reminded me last week of a phrase her mother taught her: “Be a witness everywhere you go and use words if necessary.” And the greatest responsibility of all is taught in our passage.

c. We Are the Ambassadors (John 17:4,6,9,11,15,18,20)
- Do we really understand what it is to be an ambassador? An ambassador is one who goes in the place of his master. An ambassador speaks what his master would speak. An ambassador acts as his master would act. An ambassador is to complete the mission that his master wanted to complete. Verse 20 says, “…we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God…”
- Tell me this: Is Jesus Christ here with us today? Sorry, trick question. Yes, He is here with us. We know that from the Bible, “I am with you always, even until the end of the world”, and we believe it as Christians. But is he physically here with us, so that a lost person could walk by that door and see Jesus Christ in here with us? No, He is not. The only “Jesus” that the world can see is a Christian. You are the only Jesus that some people will ever see. My pastor at my home church in Illinois would often quote a poem that says this: “You’re writing a gospel, a chapter each day, by deeds that you do, by words that you say; people read what you write, whether faithless or true; say what is the gospel according to you?” We are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation. This ministry is commanded of us; this ministry is temporary; but notice from the last verse in our passage that…

III. The Ministry Is Blessed (v.21)
- Look at verse 21, one of the most powerful verses in all of the Scriptures, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” What a blessing! Could there be any greater blessing in our lives? God made His own Son to be sin in our place, so that we can become the righteousness of God. When God looks at you as a Christian, He no longer sees a sinner – He sees His own Son. God punished Christ as if He had committed every sin that I have, and He treats me as if I have lived my life with the perfect righteousness that Christ did. What mercy! What love! What a blessing! As we take part in the ministry of reconciliation, I tell you all, it is a blessing! The Bible says in…

a. Lk.15:10
- “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents…” If you have seen this happen, then you know what I am talking about. I cannot describe to you the joy that fills your heart when you see God work in the heart of a sinner, bring them to an understanding of their need, and grant them faith in His promises and repentance from their sins. It will totally change your life! When you share the gospel with another person and see God work in their hearts this way, you feel like you’ve done nothing, because God has done all the work. You were just His messenger. You feel unworthy to be used by God in this way, but very blessed to be a part of that work. Before we close, I want to share with you a few…

b. Testimonies
- …where I have seen God do this amazing work. The very first Saturday I was here, I had the chance to go on visitation with Adrian. And that was a very different experience than in the States. Many times in the States, you have a hard time just getting people to take the tracts. On that afternoon, I saw how open people are and ready to receive the gospel. That afternoon, I stood by and watched as Adrian led two ladies in a prayer to receive Christ as their Savior. That was a very powerful experience. Over the past 3 months, I’ve been able to see many different people receive Christ. God is working here in Mexico! We are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation and this church is fulfilling that mission! I have shared these next two stories briefly with you, but I want you to hear them in detail. A few weeks ago when Brother Lanny was here with the medical team, I had my first opportunity to lead a lady to the Lord all on my own. And I will tell you all, I was scared to death. I was standing right back there in the corner when the Lord pointed her out to me and said, “Go talk to her.” And I argued with God. I said, “God I can’t do that. The gospel is something that she HAS to understand to believe. I can’t be messing up my Spanish when I talk to her.” She was sitting there reading the little Bibles we had in the seats. I could tell that she didn’t know what she was reading and I was reminded of the story of Philip in Acts 8. He met the eunuch from Ethiopia, who was reading the Bible, and so he went up to him and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” And the eunuch said, “How can I unless somebody explains it to me?” So I walked up to this lady, whose name was Marina, and I said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” She looked at me and wanted to say yes, but just shook her head. So I said, “Would you like me to explain it to you?” She said yes. So I tried the best I could to explain the gospel to her – that she was a sinner, she needed a savior, and could make that decision today. The whole time I was talking, I just kept saying, “Do you understand me?” She did. So I led her in a prayer and she received Christ. It was just amazing! I felt as if I had just been watching somebody else witness to her and not myself.
- This last story, I told you last Wednesday. When I was living here in town with Brother Brian, almost every night, I would walk down to the sports park and get quesadillas for supper. Then on the way back, I would stop at this store to get a drink. Well, two weeks ago, as I was in the store, the owner, Maria, was there with another lady. And as I was paying for my drink she says to the other lady, “This guy comes in here about every night and he’s always so happy and has a smile on his face.” So the other lady says to me, “Is that true? Are you always happy?” I said, “Yes ma’am, always!” I saw that this was a good opportunity to share Jesus, so I was looking for a tract in my pocket, but I didn’t have one, so I left the store and went home. When I got there, God told me, “Go back there and talk to her.” So I took a few tracts and went back to the store. When I found Maria, I told her, “Ma’am. I have something for you. You asked me why I’m always so happy. Well it’s because of this. I am a Christian. I have Jesus living in my heart and I have a purpose for my life. I’m a pastor from the United States and I’ve come here to share the Word of God with people. So I’d like to give you this to read.” She said she would read it, so I told her, “Well I’ll probably be back here tomorrow or another night, so we can talk about it if you want.” So that Wednesday night, I asked all of you to pray for her as I went back to talk to her. So I was praying that she would have read the tract and that God would make her ready to receive Christ. As we began to talk that night, I asked her if she understood the tract. I asked her that if she were to die tonight, based only on these verses, where would she go. This is what she said: “Well, I don’t know. I mean I certainly don’t want to go to hell, but this says that sinners can’t go to heaven. And I know that I’m a sinner, so I just don’t know…” And I said to her, “Well I know.” She said, “You know?!?” I said, “Yes.” So I told her how she simply needed to believe and confess it with her mouth and that night, Maria accepted Jesus as her Savior. I tell you, brothers, that the ministry of reconciliation is a blessing!

Conclusion: Brothers, we are here to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation! It is commanded of us, it is temporary, and it is a blessing! May we recognize this great responsibility and privilege and go out there and win the world for Christ…

3 Weeks Left... Back to the Ranch

2008-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I thought I should send you all an update just to let you know that I will probably be out of contact for the rest of my time here, or at most, online once a week. I've only got three weeks more before heading back to Illinois. Where has the time gone? It seems like I've been here forever, but I'm not ready to go back, even though I can't wait to catch up with everyone again. Actually, there is a possibility that I may return for one week in July, so the idea of leaving isn't as hard for me. Last night we moved back to the ranch with Randy and Gwen and now all the boys are back living with us again.

I also have some good news for you. During the next 3 weeks, we will be making a promotional video for Rancho La Fe, interviewing the boys who live with us as well as a few men who have come through the boys home and are now in full-time ministry. I know some of you have been asking for a video like this and Brother Randy asked me yesterday for the same thing. So that will be my final video project down here in Mexico. It will certainly be finished before I leave, as I need to leave a copy with Randy and Gwen, but I may not be able to post it until I get home. We'll see how that goes. This week, I am double busy, as I am preparing my notes for youth Sunday School next week as well as my sermon for Sunday afternoon. So my video work will have to wait mostly until next week.

Last night, I was talking with Adrian about preparing my sermon. I am getting so excited to preach it! I already have my basic outline mostly completed and now just have to script it out and translate it. But in the process, God has been showing me more and more Scripture to use in my sermon and giving me more and more to say. I have even heard things related to my message in this week's messages by Brother Randy and Brother Mike Combs. It's just an affirmation of what I believe God wants me to say. I am still nervous about the actual speaking part, doing it in Spanish, but I know God will speak through me.

So thank you all, and I suppose, goodbye for a while! God bless you all and thank you for the critical part you have played in my ministry opportunities here through your prayers, support, and encouragement.

Sunday School Message #7

2008-05-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Let’s begin… Today we’re studying the 6th point of our study on “How to Think Like Jesus”. We have talked about having “A Heart for the Lost”, “A Heart for Prayer”, “A Heart for God’s Will”, “A Heart for Others”, and “A Heart for Purity”. What we’re going to study today is similar to “A Heart for Others”, but instead of focusing just on humility, we’re going to focus on service. In order to think like Jesus, we must have “A Heart for Service”.

7. A Heart for Service – Sacrifice

a. Matt.23:11
Let’s look first of all at a very brief passage that gives us Christ’s view of greatness. “But He that is great…” How contrary this is to the world’s thinking. I mean think about our society today. In a typical business, who has to do the lowest jobs of service? It is those who are least important, right? It’s the janitors, the maintenance people, or the trash collectors. Those people who are “the greatest” in the business are those with the big offices, the fancy suits, the personal assistants, and the large salaries. This is the way of the world. Our Lord has a different view. He says, “If you want to be the greatest in my eyes – in the kingdom of heaven – you should be the servant of all.”This type of thinking is not natural for us, but is a very important part of our lives as Christians. We need to develop a pattern of thinking where we seek the lowest position and serve everyone around us. Let’s continue on to see what other things the Bible says about being a servant.

b. Mk.9:33-35
In this story, we see Jesus’ disciples expressing this same view that we typically have when it comes to greatness. Somebody read this passage for us, please. “And He came…” Notice two things from this passage. First, did you notice that when the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest, it was just amongst themselves? Jesus was not included in that conversation. Do you know why I believe that is? It is because they had seen such a different example in their Lord. They had not seen Him trying to be the greatest. Rather, they saw Him being the servant of all. And second, notice that Jesus already knew what they were talking about. You know, there is something important about the timing of correcting or confronting a person who is wrong. I remember my parents doing this often when I was young. Jesus let them finish their conversation. He let them argue about who was the greatest and why they thought they should have the best positions in the kingdom of heaven. Then once they had fully exposed their true heart motives, Jesus says, “So what were you guys talking about?” And look, they didn’t answer Him. So look at verse 35, “He sat them down…” and taught them this principle. “If any man…”

c. Mt.20:20-28; Mk.10:42-45
Notice now, this next passage. This thinking was not only how Jesus’ disciples thought, but now we see it in one of their mothers. There are actually two different passage that record this story – one in Matthew and one in Mark. We’re going to read the one in Matthew 20. “Then came…” This story always makes me laugh a little, because it sounds just like something a mother would do. It is the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples. She comes to Jesus and basically asks him to do favor for her. She then asks that her two sons would be able to sit on Jesus’ right hand and left hand in the kingdom of heaven. Now you have to remember that during all of this time, the disciples were believing that Jesus was getting ready to establish His kingdom on earth and destroy the Romans who had taken over control of their land. Also, we need to understand that in the culture of that time, to sit at the right or left hand of the king was the highest position of leadership one could achieve. So basically, James and John and their mother were asking Jesus if they could have the two highest places of authority in the kingdom. And notice also in verse 24, that this request made the other disciples angry. They, too, wanted the best positions for themselves. Jesus’ reply was, “You know not…” Jesus basically says, “Look, I know that you’ve seen that example set by the leadership of the Gentiles, but that’s not the way it is in the kingdom of heaven.” And then Jesus uses the example of His own life as the example of how we should serve.

d. Jn.12:26
This next passage is very short, but I think it’s important for us to see it. This is our Lord telling us to follow the example that He has set for us. He says, “If any man…” We have studied in every point of this study that we must follow the example of Jesus. Well, here, Jesus Himself tells us to follow His example, and He gives us a promise as well. He says at the end of the verse, “…if any man…”

e. Lk.10:38-42; Ps.51:16; I Sam.15:22
Now as we are studying about service, we need to make sure that we have a biblical view of service. What I mean is that “service is not the most important thing in our spiritual lives. We see in Psalms that God is more interested in the condition of our hearts than our external behavior. David says, “For thou desirest not…” The prophet Samuel says in the Old Testament, “Hath the Lord…” We have noticed many times that Jesus scolded the Pharisees because they were righteous on the outside and wicked on the inside. Look, now at this story in Luke 10. Somebody read verses 38-42 for us, please. What happened in this story? Jesus comes to visit his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus who lived in the town of Bethany. When He arrives, Martha is busy preparing the dinner, cleaning the house, and trying to serve Jesus. However, Mary is just sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. Now we would typically look at Martha and say, “What a hard worker she is! She is such a good servant to Jesus.” But look at what happened. She goes to Jesus and says, “Lord, dost thou…” And Jesus’ response to her is, “Martha, Martha…” He said that Mary had chosen the better part. So that means that Jesus would rather Martha just come and spend time with Him than to be busy serving Him.

This is a very important point for us to remember. God wants for us to serve. We are to serve God. We are to serve others. We are to serve in the church. But in the midst of all the work, we must remember that it is more important to spend time at the feet of our Lord Jesus! Someone once said, “Do not get so busy with the work of the Lord that you forget about the Lord of the work.” Jesus talks in John 14 about how we must abide in Him each day if we are to bear fruit in our spiritual lives. Your daily time with God in His Word and prayer is the most important aspect of your life as a Christian. Once that is done, we are then to follow Christ’s example as a servant of all.

f. Lk.22:27;Jn.13:3-17
This next passage, I believe, is the most powerful of all. I want all of you to turn there, if you would. We’re going to read John 13. Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 22:27, “I am among…” And then in this powerful passage, He demonstrates it. As we read this story, I want you to imagine that you are one of Jesus’ disciples. “Jesus knowing that…” Ok, imagine this scene. You are one of the 12 disciples. You have been following Jesus for 3 years now. You have seen Him do countless miracles. You have heard Him teach the Scriptures. But tonight, He seems different. You sense that something big is about to happen. He has told you things that you don’t understand, saying He is about to be given over to the Pharisees and killed. You have just finished eating the Passover dinner, which is always a special time with Jesus. But as dinner finishes, you see Jesus take a towel and a bowl of water and begin to wash the feet of the other men. “What was He doing? He shouldn’t be doing this! This is the job of a servant. He is our Lord. I don’t want Him to wash my feet! They’re dirty and they probably smell bad. He doesn’t deserve such a low position.” As if it wasn’t low enough for the God of the universe to come to earth as a human, He lowered himself further by taking the lowest position known to men – to be the servant of all men.

This man was our example. Christ was the ultimate servant. But you know what? I prefer a different title. I don’t like to be called a servant. The word is “a slave”. “Slave” is the word in the original Greek text. Do you see the difference? A servant is one who places himself in a position to serve another. A slave is one who is owned. A slave has no choice. A slave must do what his master commands. A slave has been purchased by his master. So as Christians, we are slaves of Jesus Christ!

g. Gal.5:13
One more passage and we’re finished. It’s very short and very simple. The Bible says, “…by love serve one another.” So who are we to serve? The Bible says we are to serve God first and above all others. And then we are to serve those around us – that means everyone. Young or old, rich or poor, white or black, saved or unsaved – we are to serve all men. Remember what Jesus said are the two greatest commandments – Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. All of the commandments are fulfilled in these two.

Here is the bottom line. We Christians need to develop what is called a “Servant’s Heart”. It is a state of mind. It is not something that we do from time to time. It is an attitude that we live with every day. It is a way of living that says, “Everybody else is better than I. I should serve them in every way I can.” This is how Jesus lived.

Conclusion: If we are going to think like Christ, we must follow his example and serve others in every way we can, every chance we get. Jesus was the ultimate servant. Remember His words: “Whoever shall be greatest among you shall be your servant.” Let’s pray…

The Search for a Soul

2008-05-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

You'd think after a good while of seeing God's power that you would eventually get used to it. Not so. Every time I see God work in a new and different way, I am astonished again by His power.

Yesterday I wrote of a lady at the store that I had the chance to talk to for a few minutes. I left her with a tract and said that I would come to talk to her about it another night. Tonight in church, I shared that story as a testimony and prayer request. I asked the family to pray for her and for me as I tried to share the gospel with her further...

After church and driving the bus route tonight, I went over to Pastor Jose Luis and Mary's house for dinner. We finished around 9:00 and I told them, "OK, I've got to go witness." So I stopped by Brian's house, grabbed a few tracts, and headed out towards the store. I prayed as I went that God would give me the words to say and prepare her heart to receive them. I determined to go right in the store this time. I would not get scared and sit outside like last night. When I got there, she was the only one at the store. God couldn't have set it up more perfectly.

I picked out my Coke and vanilla Submarinos (like Twinkies) and went up to check out. After we talked for a bit, I asked her, "Hey did you ever get to read that thing I gave you?" "Yes, I did. I read the whole thing." "And did you understand it?" "Well, most of it..." "Then do you believe it?" "Oh yes, because it's the Word of God!" So we got to talking. God had brought her to the perfect level of understanding. Listen to what she said: "Well, I understood from the beginning how all of us have sinned. And I know that's true, because I know that I'm a sinner. But I didn't understand exactly HOW Jesus saves us. I mean if He died for our sins, does that mean that ALL people will go to heaven?" I said, "OK, let me ask you this. If you were to die tonight, based ONLY on this book and these verses, where do you think you would go?" She said, "Well, I don't know! I mean I really don't want to go to hell, but these verses say that I can't go to heaven if I am a sinner. So I don't know." I smiled and told her, "I do." "You do?" "Yes, I do." "So you're going to heaven when you die?" "I KNOW I am!" "Well how?" What a great place to start!

So I opened my Bible and reviewed the Romans Road on sin and the penalty of sin. We talked about how Jesus lived here on the earth for 33 years without sinning. So he did not have to pay the penalty of death for Himself. But He chose to die anyway for us. So I told her that the work of salvation is complete. Jesus has done everything He had to do to make salvation available to us. Then I gave her the example of the Coke I had just bought. I said, "Suppose I want to give you this Coke as a gift. I have already paid the price for it and I'm just holding it out to give you - like this. What do you have to do to make it yours?" She replied, "Well, nothing more than to reach out and take it." "Exactly!" So we read Romans 10:9-10, "That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." She said, "That's it?" I said, "That's it!"

We talked a bit more and I told her a little about what it would be like if she accepted Jesus as her Savior - how the Holy Spirit would live inside her and clean up her heart and change her life. I told her how if she received Jesus as her Savior then God would write her name in the Book of Life in heaven and one day, when she dies and stands before Him, He will open that book and read her name. Then He will look at her and see no sin, because Jesus paid for them. He will look at her and see His child.

By this time, it was actually time for her to close her store. She said, "Would you like to come back tomorrow and talk about this some more?" I said, "Sure, I can come back sometime, but let me ask you this. Do you believe all of this?" "Well, yes." "Then do you think that you're ready to receive Jesus as your Savior tonight?" "Yes, I am." So I led her in a prayer, and she prayed and asked for God's forgiveness for her sins, and asked Jesus to be her Savior!

Tomorrow or another day, I'm going to go back there and take her a Bible, in case she doesn't have one yet. But praise the Lord for His great work and join in the celebration that is going on in heaven tonight!

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." - Luke 15:10

Listening to God - Two True Stories

2008-05-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last night (5/13/08):

So I walked down to get quesadillas and our two neighbor boys went with me. They're the two that we're praying for and trying to get to church. OK, so on the way back, we stopped at this "abarrotes" (that's a small convenience store) and I bought the boys these little snack cakes or something and my Coke for my quesadillas. So while I was paying for it, the lady at the store had another lady there with her. She said to the lady, "This guy comes in here about every night and he's always just so polite and he's always got a smile on his face." So the other lady says to me, "Is that true? Are you always happy?" I said, "Yes, ma'am. Always," wishing SO badly that I had a tract with me. But I didn't. And with the other two boys with me, I really couldn't stick around and talk long. So we left...

Then I'm sitting here finishing up my quesadillas, when I remember about listening to God. I'm sitting here thinking what an opportunity that was and how I don't wanna miss a SINGLE opportunity I have here. So I grabbed a few tracts and left.

I walked back to the store and got scared (I'm such a fraidy-cat). So I sat at the corner near the store to pray. There were several people inside, so that was my excuse to wait. I started to review what I was going to say and pray through the sinner's prayer on my own in Spanish to practice. I started thinking, maybe I'll just give this to her tonight and then talk to her about it tomorrow. But I knew that was just my excuse for being too scared. So I was like, no I'm gonna talk to her now. So as the store kinda calmed down in like 10 minutes I went up to her - her son was there with her.I said, "Good evening, ma'am." "Good evening." "I have something for you. You asked me why I'm always so happy, right?" "Yes! I was telling my friend that you come in every night with a smile on your face and you're always happy." "Well, this is why," I said, handing her the tract. "This is?" "Yes, ma'am. I'm a Christian. I have Jesus Christ living in my heart. And I have a purpose for living my life. See, I'm a pastor from the United States and I've come here to work with Iglesia Bautista La Fe over on 8th Street and Bustamante y Tagle. Well this little tract here just has a bunch of Bible verses that explain about Jesus. Do you know who Jesus is?" "Oh, yes. He is the Son of God." So we went on talking a little bit and she was very open and agreeable. Then she said, "Well thank you and I will read all through this tomorrow." It's a pretty thick tract with all kinds of different Bible verses and topics other than salvation, too. So I said, "OK, ma'am. Well hey, I'll probably be back by here tomorrow or another night, so if you want, I'll stop by here and we can talk about that some more." She said, "Ok, great. I'll read through this before then."

So now I've got the chance to go back. Next time I'm gonna start right off with so after reading that tract, do you know where you would go if you were to die? So it'll be cool to see where that goes...

-----------------------

This afternoon (5/14/08):

It is so cool to listen to God! It's even more cool, when you come to the end of your day/trip/whatever and KNOW that you heard exactly what He said because of some way that He confirms it.

I was hungry (big surprise, huh?). So I decided instead of hot dogs and fries today, I wanted the giNORmous burrito from El Guero. So I was gonna take the bike, but it wasn't here. Come on, Adrian! What did you take the bike for? Now I've gotta walk all the way into town and back! Ah, but THAT was what God wanted...It is probably about 1.5 to 2 miles into the "centro commercial" from here, so I grabbed some tracts and went out the door. I didn't take very many with me - maybe 7 or 8. So I got stepping. First of all, I put on Pastor Steve's Mother's Day message that I just downloaded onto my iPod and started listening to that. I passed by many people, but I only had a few tracts. So it was practice in listening: "OK, God, where are these people I'm supposed to give these to?"

I found the first one. It was an older man, just sitting outside of his house. People around here do that all the time. They'll just sit here all day and watch people go by. Who else would have more time to read a gospel tract? " Good afternoon, sir. I have something for you. This is the Word of God." "Oh thank you, sir." "This little tract here has a lot of verses from the Bible that tell us about Jesus Christ and God's plan for salvation, for all of us. It's very important, so you read it, ok?" "OK, thank you and God bless you!"

When I got into town, I found the second person. He was also an older man and this guy had a shoe-shine business. He didn't look very busy and these people also just sit there all day waiting for business. So I gave him the same little message. Just as I was leaving a man came up to have his shoes shined, so he says to me, "Hey I'll share it with this guy, too. He's really lost!" "OK, brother, you do that."

Then I got to the restaurant and ordered my burritos. As I was walking up to the restaurant, I saw my last 5 people. "Hey, guero! How have you been?!?" It was one of the teens that Adrian and I have been spending time with and trying to witness to. Adrian knows him from the streets. They grew up together as the gangsters of the town before Adrian got saved and became a pastor. Well, our two teens prayer projects were there with two more of their gang friends and a girl who worked at the store that they were talking to. It would take a few minutes to make the burritos so I stayed there and talked with them for a while. As I did, I pulled out one of the tracts and started to read it. I kept two of them in my other hand. Just as my burritos were finished and ready to go, I start saying goodbye to the guys. "Hey what's that you've got there?" "This?" I said, handing him the tract, "This is the Word of God." "Oh! Are you like giving these to people in town?" "Yeah." "Well can we have these?" "Of course you can!" I said, giving them all out to them. "These are really important, so y'all make sure you read them, ok? God bless you guys!"

It was so cool. On the way back, I wasn't sure how many tracts I had. I just kept reaching in my back pocket til they were gone. And I realized those were the last 5 I had. I mean God told me to give tracts to 7 people and I only had 7 tracts in my pocket. He's so awesome!

The Time Has Come... Please Pray!

2008-05-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

What an amazing change God has made in me over the last 10 months. It was last July, just after I got back from our youth group trip to Mexico, that I began to pray about coming back here to Mexico to serve God full-time. It was last July that I started seriously working on my Spanish. It was last July that I talked to Brother Randy about coming here to serve with him. At that time I told him that I wanted to come back as soon as I knew Spanish well enough to preach without an interpreter. Well that time has come, so I need all of your prayers!

Yesterday afternoon, Pastor Jose Luis came up to me just before the evening service. At first, he scared me to death! He came bouncing up 5 minutes before the service, as if he'd been looking for me, and says, "Ready?" "Am I ready for what?" "To preach tonight." "What? I'm preaching tonight?" "Yeah!" "Right now?!?" "Yes. Don't you remember we talked about it two weeks ago?" I got really worried. We HAD talked about it two weeks ago, but I'd tried to tell him I need some more time to prepare my sermon in Spanish. Maybe he didn't understand me! At first, I thought he was joking - he's always messing around with people like that. But then Pepo and Keko were there saying the same thing. "Are you serious? I didn't know I was preaching tonight." Keko says, "Yeah, you said you were going to." Pepo says, "Just preach what you did in Sunday School this morning." They were all just staring at me, wondering why I didn't remember. "Well, I guess I could preach that again." Then he got his big ole' smile again and said, "Ah, don't believe that! I'm just kidding!" I was like, "Oh, Brother, you scared me!" He just cracked up laughing!

Then he asked me if I can preach in two weeks for the afternoon service. Next week, Brother Randy is preaching in the morning and Brother Mike in the afternoon. Then the week after, somebody will be preaching in the morning and then I preach in the afternoon. That is the next to last Sunday before I head home to Illinois. God's timing is perfect. So, this is it...

This is what I've been preparing for during the last 10 months. Of course, I'm really nervous, but not as nervous as I would be if I hadn't been able to teach the youth in Spanish for the past 6 weeks. God has constantly been reminding me that it is HIS message and I am just His messenger. He has spoken through me to the teens. He spoke through me to Marina. So I know He will speak through me again. But I did want to write this to all of you to update you and ask for your prayers. I will be preaching on "The Ministry of Reconciliation" from II Corinthians 5:18-21.

I miss you all and can't wait to catch up with you again! Dios les bendiga!

Sunday School Message #6

2008-05-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

I was having a really hard time speaking Spanish today. I mean I kept messing up my words and I couldn't really think straight when trying to go away from my notes. I prolly sounded like a little kid trying to talk. You know how they always say things really simply and pronounce them wrong and everything? That was me today.

But then we got to the important part - and that REALLY connected. You'll see the part where I was like, "Young people, listen to me. I'm going to tell you something that is not very popular..." And I told them that I have noticed that it is very common for women to have children outside of marriage down here, but that does not change the truths of God's Word; it is still a sin against God and our own bodies. Man, were they all listening! I don't think they were expecting for a foreigner to speak out against the sin in their country, especially as specifically as to say, "To have sex outside of marriage is a sin against God." I felt like God really confronted them with that.

It was weird to be convicted by my own sermon. Like in the main sermon, some of the things that Pastor Jose Luis convicted me, but I kept hearing my own words convicting me. "I can't make this choice for you...your parents can't make the choice for you...your church can't make the choice for you...if you are going to live a pure life, you must make that decision and take the action and obey the Scriptures for yourself...to have an impure mind is just as serious to God as having an impure body..." It was so strange! I had just said these things and now God was saying them to me in my own voice, as if I were up there actually in the pulpit, preaching to me sitting in my seat.

Anyway, here's the message:

Introduction: Let’s begin. This morning we’re looking at the fifth area in our study of “How to Think Like Jesus”. So far we’ve seen that in order to think like Jesus, we must have “A Heart for the Lost”, “A Heart for Prayer”, “A Heart for God’s Will”, and “A Heart for Others”. Today we’re going to talk about a subject that is sometimes difficult to discuss, but is incredibly important in our lives. So let’s pray that God will give us wisdom and open our eyes to the importance of this topic…

2. A Heart for Purity

a. Psalm 24:3-5
In this study, as with our others, we need to begin with a passage our motivation for living pure lives. Psalm 24 is a passage that God has used at many times in my life to challenge my walk with Him and remind me of my need for purity. Notice what the Bible says in verse 4. This passage teaches that the Lord dwells with him “who has clean hands and a pure heart”. If we want to dwell with God on a daily basis, which we learned last week is the key to thinking like Jesus, then we must constantly work to keep our hearts pure. And verse 5 adds, “He will receive…”

b. Matthew 5:8
Now look at a passage in Matthew 5. In this chapter, which is the beginning of what we call “The Sermon on the Mount”, Jesus lists of 8 different types of people who are blessed in God’s eyes. Verse 8 tells us, “Blessed…” Imagine that – to see God face to face! Jesus Himself teaches us that those who are pure in heart shall see God. What a motivation to live a pure life!

c. Phil.1:8-10
In this next passage, the apostle Paul is writing a letter to a church that he had started in Philippi. In these verses he expresses his urgent desire to see them again and his prayer for them that they should grow more and more. Listen to what Paul prays for this group of believers who were very dear to him. “For God is my witness…” The primary desire of Paul’s prayer for them was at the end of verse 10, and everything before that was an explanation of how they would achieve that end. He prays that they would be “pure and blameless.” And he says that they will do that by having a love that abounds “more and more…” So those three steps are very important for us if we want to be pure and blameless. 1. A love that abounds more and more 2. With knowledge and discernment 3. Approve what is excellent.

d. Phil.4:8; Mat.5:27-30
Let me ask you this? Is God only interested on what you do on the outside? Is God only interested in what you do physically with your body? Absolutely not! Remember that Jesus always rebuked the Pharisees because they were only pure on the outside. This next passage shows us that the same principle is true with purity. This passage talks not about what we do, but how we think.

This is why the battle for purity is so difficult, and as a man, I’m speaking mostly to you men. You know, it is relatively easy to be pure physically with our bodies. It is relatively easy to keep yourself pure and not give your body to a woman who is not your wife. All we really have to do is avoid situations with a woman where we could be tempted to commit adultery. But this battle of the mind is a daily battle, is it not? It is a struggle EVERY day to guard what you think about. But listen, this battle of the mind is just as serious as the battle of the body. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-30, “You have heard it said…” Jesus Christ says that it is just as bad to look at a woman sinfully as it is to commit adultery physically. So how can we keep our minds pure? We will see what God says about that in Psalms 119 in a few minutes.

e. I Tim.1:5
I want all of us to look at this next passage in your Bibles. The book is I Timothy. Can anybody tell me who Timothy was? Timothy was a young man who was saved under Paul’s ministry in his missionary journeys. Look at verse 2 of I Timothy chapter 1: “To Timothy…” Paul calls him “my true son in the faith”. Timothy was also a young man that God called and Paul trained to be the pastor of a local church in Ephesus. So in this letter, the Apostle Paul is writing a letter to this young pastor. He is bringing his advice, based on many years of experience, to this young pastor, to equip him for the work of the ministry. Now with that background, let’s read what the teacher says to the student in this passage: “The aim of our charge…” That means that Paul is about to sum up in one statement the complete goal of his ministry and his life. “Love…” Everything in our life is about love; and we will be talking about that in 3 weeks as the last point of our study. Now listen, “…love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.” What is the very first thing that Paul mentions as a need in the life of a Christian? A pure heart. If we are to live a faithful Christian life, one that God can use, we must fight to keep our hearts pure. There is nothing that will bring a man of God down faster than moral impurity.

f. I Pet.1:22-23
Look now at I Pet.1:22-23. This passage tells us how we can purify our hearts. “…by your obedience to the truth.” This study on purity will not purify your hearts. Memorizing these verses on purity will not purify your heart. Confessing your struggles to another person will not purify your heart. The only thing that will purify your heart is “obedience to the truth”. These passages will give you the truth. They will warn you against impurity. They will tell you how to avoid impurity. But the only thing that will purify your heart is action! You must make the choice! You must fight the fight! You must say no to impurity. Only you can make that decision for yourself. I cannot make it for you, the church cannot make it for you, and your parents cannot make it for you. If you are to live a pure life, you must choose it for yourself.

g. Psalm 119:9-11
So how can we do this? We see from these passages the importance of keeping our hearts, our minds, and our lives pure, but how can we really do this in a practical way? Do we just lock ourselves in our rooms and avoid all contact with the world, so that we are not tempted with moral impurity? We have a few more passages of Scripture to look at today and all of these tell us exactly HOW to fight the battle for purity. Look together at Psalm 119:9-11 to see what we must do to keep our lives pure? Somebody read that passage please. What did verse 9 say? It asks us this same question: “How shall a young man…” And then it gives us the answer: “by taking heed…” And it continues on: “With my whole heart…” In order to stay pure, we must be seeking God with our WHOLE heart. It speaks of prayer: “…let me not wander.” We need God’s help in order to stay pure. And it gives us a weapon: “Your Word have I hid…” There is a reason that the Bible calls itself “the Sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6. It is because we are to use the Bible to fight against the lies of the enemy and the temptations of the world. We need to have memorized, stored up in our hearts, an arsenal of verses to throw at the enemy when he tries to tempt us with sin. Isn’t that what Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan in the desert? He was tempted three times that we know of in Matthew, and every time, He answered the temptation with a verse from God’s Word. If we are to win the battle for purity, we need to stop being on the defense all the time; we need to go on the offense and attack the lies of Satan with the truth of God’s Word.

h. II Tim.2:22; I Cor.6:18-20; Prov.2,7;Gen.39 – How to Battle Temptation
Now I want us to look at 4 different passages of Scripture that speak of fighting moral impurity and see if we can find a common pattern in them.

II Timothy 2:22 is a very helpful passage because it tells us not only what we shouldn’t do; it tells us what we should to. “Flee… but follow…” Remember how I said that we should not be on the defense all the time? This verse teaches the same thing. Offensively, follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace. If you are busy seeking these things, you will not be so easily distracted by moral temptations. In addition, this verse gives us more advice: “with them…” If you are going to live a life of purity, you must surround yourself with other Christians who are also committed to purity. Then you can be a help and support to each other in your daily battles for purity.

Listen now to the powerful truths from I Corinthians 6:18-20: “Flee fornication…” Is that a choice or a command? That verse is a command. But it doesn’t give us this command without explanation. Listen to the explanation: “Every sin…” Did you hear all of those reasons? To commit adultery is to sin against your own body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You have been bought with a price. You are not your own! What a statement! You don’t have the option as a Christian to decide if you want to be pure or not; you are commanded! “Therefore glorify…”

We won’t read all of these passages, but I want you to notice a few verses from Proverbs. 2:1,16-19. To receive the words of God and keep His commandments within us will keep us away from an immoral woman. Notice also a few verses from Proverbs 7:7,8,21-27. A man sees a youth walking and describes him as simple, void of understanding. He passes her street corner and takes the way to her house. She tempts him and with her many words, she entices him. Then listen, he follows her “as an ox to the slaughter”. He does not know that it will cost his life. She has brought down many strong men. Her house is the way to hell.

Look finally at a passage in Genesis 39:7-12. Joseph points out first of all what we often forget - that immorality is a great sin against God. There is really one thing I want us to notice in this passage. What was Joseph’s response? First he refused. Second he refused and spoke out as to why he refused. Third, he fled. He didn’t try to stay around and face the temptation. He ran.
What does Paul tell Timothy? Flee. What does Paul tell the Corinthians? Flee. What do the Proverbs teach? Flee. What did Joseph do when tempted by Potiphar’s wife? Flee.
Young people, hear me. I want to tell you something now that is not very popular. I want to tell you something very serious. The Bible teaches that adultery is sin. The truths of the Bible do not change from culture to culture. I have noticed here in Mexico that it is very common for women to have children outside of marriage. In fact, I have noticed that it is actually difficult to find a woman over the age of 18 or 20 who does not have children. But hear me – the fact that it is common does not make it any less of a sin. Young people, this is not my opinion; these are not my thoughts. This is the unchanging truth of God’s Word. To commit adultery is a sin against God. To have sex outside of marriage is a sin against God! I want you all to understand the seriousness of this. God cares deeply about the purity of your heart. God commands us to be pure. God enables us to be pure. But it is our choice and our responsibility to take action and fight for moral purity.

Conclusion: In closing, if we want to think like Christ, we must constantly fight to have a pure heart. There is nothing that will more quickly destroy the character of a man or woman than moral impurity. God dwells with him who has a pure heart. And dwelling with God is the key to thinking like Christ. Let us take warning from God’s Word, beg for his help in this area, and fight for purity in our lives.

"And Thy House..."

2008-05-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I have a story to share with you all. I'm not fully informed on all the details, so forgive me, but I write of what I witnessed tonight during visitation.

The part of the story I do not know began 8 months ago. A young Mexican man got saved in Denver, Colorado. He was originally from here in Jimenez. Somehow over the past 8 months, he's gotten in touch with our church and asked us to pray for his family who lives here in Jimenez. So we've been praying for them for several months. Well, finally we found out where they live. And tonight we went to visit them. The following is a true story, a firsthand account of the work of God...

So we get to the address and their little shop on the corner is open. We go inside and meet a young man, Marco Antonio Hernandez. He appears around 18 and not too excited to see us. I can't figure out if he just woke up from a siesta or if he's just had a really boring day. Pastor Jose Luis walks up and pulls a Pepsi out of the fridge to buy. As he is paying, he tells him that we've heard from his relative in Colorado (I'm not sure if this guy was his brother or cousin or what). He says that his brother has met Jesus Christ as His personal Savior and that he wanted us at Iglesia Bautista La Fe to come and tell his family about his new Lord. Boy did that open the doors. So we stand there as Pastor Jose Luis explains to him the gospel and his need for this same Savior who saved his relative. I watched and listened as this young man's face changed from one of disinterest to one of great hope and understanding. When Pastor Jose Luis asked him if he wanted to receive Jesus as his Savior, there was no hesitation and an excited, "Si!" So he prayed a prayer of salvation right there in his family's little store. Praise the Lord! One down...

We then walked out of the store and around to the house side of the building. After knocking and waiting for a few minutes, a man came out of the house. Pastor Jose Luis told him why we were here and as soon as he mentioned his son's name, the man lit up and invited us in saying, "Mi casa es tu casa!" So we began to talk once again. This man was much more familiar with the Bible than his relative in the store. He would quote some of the verses along with Pastor Jose Luis. Pastor was happy to hear his familiarity with the Bible and began to question him whether he believed everything the Bible teaches. The man answered, "Yes, of course." "So then you believe that when you die, you will go to one of two places - to heaven, in the presence of our Lord, or to hell, a place prepared for Satan and his demons. Let me ask you then, if you were to die tonight, which of those places do you think you would go?" The man's expression changed to an embarrassed look, like a child who had just been caught in a lie: "Well, I have really sinned a lot. 'For all have sinned...', right? So I guess that I would have to go to hell." "Oh, but you don't!" Pastor said, with hope. He went on to share the reason for which Jesus died on the cross. Moments later, he asked the man, "Would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior?" "Well, yes I would." So he prayed the prayer of salvation right there in his own living room. Praise the Lord! Two down...

Pastor Jose Luis stood up from the couch, looking to me like an enthusiastic child ready to "go outside and play" again, and said, "Well then, let's go find your wife!" So the man gave him directions to another store where she was working. We arrived at that store to find a very hard woman with an irritated look on her face. "Oh boy," I thought, "This one's not gonna be so easy..." Pastor Jose Luis began to explain to her that we had heard from her son in Colorado and his desire for his family to receive Jesus the way he had done. She eyed him carefully, like a salesman trying to sell a phony product: "Well, I don't have time right now, I'm really busy..." So Pastor says, "OK, well what he wanted us to tell you is very simple. Basically, it's about our Savior Jesus Christ..." He went on, undeterred. I stood a few feet behiind him, praying that God would soften this lady's heart and give her an understanding of her need. When somebody would come in, he would stop talking and move out of the way, so that she could go on with her work. It didn't take long for him to explain things to her. Her answer was, "Well, I'm a Catholic, so I already know about Jesus." "Oh good," Pastor went on, "the only thing we're here to do is to tell you about Jesus. We're not trying to change your religion and make you a Baptist or anything, we just want you to know that Jesus wants to save you from your sin and be your personal Savior." So he made things quite simple. It was masterful how he led her using things she already believed in to an understanding that she needed to act on what Christ had done for her. He said, "Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?" "Well, yes," she said, really thinking through her answer. "Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins and rose again the third day?" "Yes." "Do you believe that you are a sinner and cannot make it to heaven through your own efforts?" "Yes." "Do you believe that God is holy and must judge sins?" "Yes." "Then the Bible says this: 'If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.' Do you want to do that right now and receive Jesus as your Savior?" She paused. I could see her thinking logically through these truths of Scripture and considering her answer carefully: "Well... yes I do." She prayed the sinner's prayer with Pastor Jose Luis and we left the store with a lady with a smile and a pleasant expression on her face. Praise the Lord! One more family won for His kingdom...

At the end of this day, I had one verse ringing in my head: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house..." I had never seen this before. I have seen a whole family saved at once (on a previous trip to Mexico, in fact), but never like this - at three different times, all unaware that their other family members had also accepted. There was no way that their decisions could have affected each other's. I can only imagine the conversation going on tonight, as each one of them realizes that the other's had also received the same Savior, the same day. Praise God for His promises and His mighty power...

Gloria al Señor!!! Praise the Lord!!!

2008-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today I saw the power of God in a more real way than I have during my entire trip here to Mexico. Today I saw God cross the language barrier with the power of His great salvation. Today I saw God use an American man to bring a Mexican woman to an understanding of the gospel. Today I saw God save another of His lost sheep.

This week and next, we have a team of doctors here from the United States, led by Brother Lanny Ashcraft, to perform free cataract surgeries on the many under-privileged people here in Jimenez who cannot afford medical expenses. So we're working together with the hospital and the Lion's Club here in town. The people go to the Lion's Club to register and get an examination. Then they come over to the church to wait for the surgeries at the hospital.

So we meet at the church like usual on Saturdays at 10:00 AM for visitation and witnessing in town. So Pastor Jose Luis asks where we should go today and says we could either hand out tracts in town like normal or stay here and talk to people waiting on their surgeries. Most of the guys wanted to hand out tracts (isn't it always easier to just hand somebody a tract and walk away?), but I said, "Pastor, I think we have an opportunity here that we don't have on other weeks. We don't need to go out to the people because they're coming to us today." He said, "That's right, they're already here! Let's go talk to them." So some of the guys went to hand out tracts and Jose Luis and Jesus and I (that's Jesus Chaparro, not Jesus Christ, although He was there too) stayed at the church to talk to people." Today I saw the benefits of my training day of witnessing on the south side of Peoria - to listen to God.

I'm going to tell you something for all of you who have never been on a missions trip and/or can't speak another language. It is very easy to be a Christian missionary when you are with national believers who have been trained in witnessing. All you do is stand there with your smile, your Bible, and your tracts, drawing people in by your "Americanism", and listen intently while the nationals explain the plan of salvation and lead sinners in a prayer of repentance. That is very easy. It is also very powerful. If you haven't seen it, I tell you it will change your life. But listen, it is not enough to use them (the nationals) as a crutch. It's the same way that I used to tell the teens at Cornerstone, "Don't use your tracts as a crutch. Leave them on the tables at a restaurant, if you must, but don't use that as an excuse not to talk to somebody." Do you want to see God use you? I mean YOU! Then you have to step out in faith and put yourself at risk, in a vulnerable position, and see what God will do through you. This is a lesson I am learning.

So we are at the church with lost people flooding in to have their needs met. They come for their physical needs; we seek to meet their spiritual needs. We have New Testaments and tracts placed all over the seats at the church. Nearly everyone is reading something. So now I stand there, listening to God, asking Him where to go, and whom to talk to. Pastor Jose Luis starts up a conversation with a couple who claim to be Catholic. Everyone else seems occupied with their crying children or their friends, so I sit in and listen. Pastor Jose Luis begins explaining sin and our need for salvation. He never mentions church. He never mentions religion. He talks about Jesus Christ, us, and sin. The man and wife listen. The man understands. The woman says, "But he's a Catholic." Jose Luis doesn't mention the church. He says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." He explains the plan of salvation and the need to receive Christ as his personal Savior. And the man, understanding, says he wants to pray. So Pastor Jose Luis leads him in a prayer of repentance right there.

So that group leaves for the hospital. It's about noon now and Pastor Jose Luis asks if I can stay at the church and be in charge until Brother Martin arrives at 2:00 PM. So I agreed and he left for lunch. So it's just Jesus and I. The next group of people comes in and I'm kinda walking around the church listening for God to tell me whom to talk to. Meanwhile, Jesus walks across the street. There were about 4 or 5 men who had gathered across the road, just to watch what was going on with all this activity at the church. Oh, just so you all know, Jesus is one of our boys from the ranch who is 17 years old. About 20 minutes later, Jesus walks back across the road and says to me, with a smile on his face, "Dos." What a coward I am! A 17 year-old just went and talked with 4 or 5 guys twice his age and returns having won two of them for the Lord!

So I went back inside and that's when I saw her. She was sitting all alone on the left side of the church, flipping through the Bible in the seat. God said, "There she is. Go talk to her..." So I walked up near her and waited. I watched her as she quickly read through some of the tract. I was trying to see where she was, following along in my own tract, to determine when to jump in and say something. I hesitate, "God, I can't do this. I can't talk to somebody in Spanish about salvation. This is something that they HAVE to understand. What if I can't explain it to her clearly?" I waited. She picks up the Bible and starts to read it. I could see as she read that she was lost - lost in the pages and lost in sin. She starts to read at the beginning (that's what you do with a book, right?); she skips to the end (that's what you do when you don't understand a book, right?); she starts to flip through pages in the middle (maybe looking for pictures or something that would help her understand). Then she kinda sets the Bible in her lap and looks around. She didn't say anything, but I could sense the attitude: "Does anybody know what this is all about?" God commands me again, "Go and talk to her. She's ready." "But God, what if I can't explain it to her? I don't even have my own Bible with me with my notes and memory verses." He rebukes me, "Listen, you little scaredy-cat, it is my message and you are just my messenger. Now go..." I don't mean to make this over-dramatic, but this is just the way everything was happening in my head.

As I look back on this, I think of Moses. God says to him, "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh..." "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh..." And God replies in Exodus 4:12, "Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak."

So the Lord bought to my mind Acts chapter 8 with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch: "Do you understand what you are reading?" "How can I, unless someone guides me?" That was my cue. I walked up and sat in the chair next to the lady: "Good afternoon, ma'am. Do you understand what you're reading?" She smiled and said, "Well..." wanting to say yes, but then honestly says, "No, I don't." "Well would you like me to explain it to you?" She nodded. So I took the tract that we had and began to explain to her that every one of us has a problem - sin. We walked through the Romans Road as I told her that our sin separates us from God. I watched her face very carefully to see if she was understanding. Over and over I asked her, "Do you understand me?" She did. So I told her that Jesus Christ has paid the price for her sin. "Do you know who Jesus Christ is?" "Yes, He is the Son of God." So I read to her Romans 10:9 and said that all she has to do to repent is to believe this message in her heart and confess with her mouth that Jesus is her Lord. I asked her, "Do you believe that this is the truth?" "Yes," she said. "And would you like to make this decision right now?" "Yes." So I told her that I would lead her in a prayer, but that the prayer wouldn't save her - because I am not God and I do not save anybody - but her faith in God's Word and in Jesus Christ would save her. So I led her in a simple prayer of repentance of sin and faith in Jesus and she asked Jesus to come into her heart and save her! It was the most beautiful thing I have seen! I felt as if I were watching somebody lead her to the Lord, rather than doing it myself.

So then I told her that now we are a family. I told her how God was writing her name down in the Book of Life. I told her that now when she reads the Bible, the Holy Spirit inside of her will show her things and make her to understand it. Then I left her alone and went for walk to try to take in everything that had just happened. I was praising and thanking God for using a weak, fragile vessel like me to shed his light into the darkness of a sinful heart. Then I returned to the church. I wondered what she would be doing. The Bible says, "...by their fruits you shall know them." When I got back to the church, Marina was sitting there still with her Bible open. She was no longer skimming through it; she was reading it. The surgeries go relatively slow with so many people to operate on. So Marina and her group were there for about 2 1/2 hours waiting. I never saw her put her Bible down once. She sat there and read it the whole time. At 2:00 PM, Brother Martin arrived and decided to get up in front of everyone and preach the gospel, instead of just going one on one. As he did, I watched Marina. Martin says, "How many of you know that if you died tonight, you would go to heaven?" All of the church members raised their hands - and so did Marina. The patients/visitors did not. As he preached, He would say things like, "How many of you believe that hell is a real place?" Marina raised her hand. "Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?" Marina raised her hand.

It was beautiful. She had understood. And now I understood as well. When I am weak, He is strong. When I cannot speak, He will speak. When I take the risk, He takes the action. What a wonderful God we serve! And what a privilege to be a part of His work in this world!

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!"
- Psalm 107:1

Sunday School Message #5

2008-05-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Ok, let’s get started. We are studying together in this class “How to Think Like Jesus”. And we’ve already studied the first three points of this topic. The first was “A Heart for the Lost”. The second thing we need was “A Heart for Prayer”. And last week, we talked about “A Heart for God’s Will.” This week we’re going to study the fourth thing that we need to have in order to think like Jesus. That is “A Heart for Others”, a heart of humility. Let’s pray together and we’ll get started.

2. A Heart for Others – Humility
a. Matthew 22:35-40
I would like us to begin with this passage from Matthew this morning, because in this passage, Jesus tells us in one statement the importance of how we treat others around us. Note that in verse 35 one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, asked Jesus a question trying to test Him. This was a common thing that the Pharisees would do to Jesus. He lived His life so perfectly and blamelessly that they were constantly trying to make Him say something wrong that they could use to accuse Him. This Pharisee asks Jesus, “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Let’s read Jesus response in verses 37-40: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” What Jesus meant in verse 40 is this: That every law written in the Scriptures is concerning your relationship with God or your relationship with others. Jesus says that if we will love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind, AND if we will love our neighbor as ourselves, we will be obeying every law of God in the Scriptures. Think about that. Of all the laws in the Scripture, which we couldn’t even remember if we tried, we will obey them all if we love God and love others. It’s simple. So this matter of having a heart for others is indeed a very important aspect of our Christian lives. To think like Jesus, we must have a heart for others – a heart of humility.

b. Isaiah 57:15
Look now, in this next passage, at another motivation for keeping a spirit of humility. Somebody read for us Isaiah 57:15. What an amazing thought! God says that He dwells “in the high holy place, with him who is of a humble and contrite spirit”. When you live together with somebody, you learn who they really are, you learn how they think, you learn how they respond to different circumstances, and you learn how to be like them. This could be the key to our whole study! What better way is there to learn to think like Jesus than to live with him daily? And that can only be done, according to this verse, when we have a humble spirit.

c. Prov.6:16-19(17)
Now, I want us to take a quick look through the book of Proverbs and see a number of different passages that talk about humility. The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom. And God will only give wisdom to those people who walk humbly with Him. This first passage gives us a list of things that God hates. Notice – what was the very first thing that God hates? It is a proud look. Pride is something that God hates to see in our lives. We’ll talk a little bit more about what pride actually is in a few minutes.

d. Prov.8:13
This passage teaches us again that if we fear the Lord, we will hate pride, the pride that is in our own hearts.

e. Prov.11:2
These verses teach us that pride brings shame. When we have pride in our hearts, we will bring shame upon ourselves. But with the lowly, that is, with the humble is wisdom.

f. Prov.15:25,33
“The Lord will destroy the house of the proud… the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.” We saw in the last passage that pride brings shame and now in this passage that humility brings honor. God hates pride, but loves humility.

g. Prov.16:5,18-19
This passage teaches us that people with proud hearts are an abomination to God – that is the strongest word in the Scriptures for something that God hates – it is an abomination. And then in verses 18 and 19 we see that pride will lead us to destruction and the Lord says it is better to have nothing, with a humble spirit, than to be very rich with other proud people.

h. Prov.22:4
In this passage, we learn that the Lord will reward the humble. He says “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.”

i. Prov.29:23
And our final passage in Proverbs speak again about the honor that God will place upon the humble – “Honor shall uphold the humble in Spirit.

j. Matthew 23:1-12
OK, now everyone turn to Matthew chapter 23 and we’re going to see something very familiar that we have seen in almost every aspect of this study. Jesus teaches the people not to behave like the Pharisees. Listen to how Jesus describes the religious leaders: “Do not after their works… they say and do not… all their works they do to be seen of men… they love the uppermost rooms… and the chief seats… and being called Rabbi... he that is greatest among you shall be your servant… whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled… whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.” This was the one thing that Jesus kept returning to when He confronted the Pharisees – that they were clean and righteous on the outside, but dirty and sinful on the inside. The Pharisees knew the Law. They had it memorized. They went to the temple every day. They gave tithes of everything that they had. They would pray many times throughout the day. But the Son of God, who knows their hearts, saw that they were full of pride. In fact, the rest of the chapter is Jesus’ strong rebuke to the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.
Our battle with pride is one of the most difficult battles to fight. Pride is not an action; it is an attitude. We can have pride in about anything. We can be proud of our accomplishments. We can be proud of our abilities or talents. We can be proud of our intelligence. We can even be proud of our Christianity. If pride were an action, like many other sins, we could just say, “Don’t do that.” But since it is an attitude, we must always ask ourselves, “Am I doing this because of my pride?” Because of that, every person struggles with pride, some just handle it better than others.

k. James 4:6-10
Look next at James chapter 4. This passage tells us that God resists the proud people but give grace to the humble people. Now listen, when God resists a proud Christian, that doesn’t mean that we lose our salvation. Think of it this way. Our earthly father is a picture of our Heavenly Father. With my earthly father, it is possible for me to hurt, disobey or disrespect him. But when I do, that doesn’t mean I am not his son anymore. However, when that happens, we don’t have the close fellowship that we had before. This is the same with our Heavenly Father. When we as Christians have proud hearts, God resists us. We are still His sons, but He refuses to have fellowship with us unless we have humble hearts. And then listen to these verses: “Submit yourselves to God…resist the devil…draw nigh to God… cleanse your hands… purify your hearts… humble yourselves… He will lift you up.” That is the attitude of the humble. We must do nothing to promote ourselves. We must do nothing to make ourselves look better.

l. I Peter 5:5-6
The attitude of humility is one of submission. To submit yourself to another is to acknowledge their leadership over you, to voluntarily place yourself under their control. Peter encourages us to “be subject one to another, and clothed with humility”. And again we see that if we humble ourselves under the hand of God, He will exalt us in His timing.

m. Phil.2:2-11
And finally, I want to look at the most powerful passage on humility in all of God’s Word. Turn to Philippians chapter 2. As with every aspect of our study until now, we always finish by looking to our Savior and seeing a perfect example of how we should live. This topic is no different. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of humility. There is nobody who could begin with a higher position than He had and nobody who could take upon themselves a lower position than He took. Listen to this beautiful and powerful passage. “Fulfill ye my joy…” And we all say, “Amen” to that passage. Let’s think for a few moments about this. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the world. But He then became a human, one of us whom He created, in order to save us from our sins. But even in that, He did not come as a king, or a rich person, or even a normal person; He came as a poor carpenter’s son, a virgin’s son, and was born in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the inn. So then He went throughout His life and what did He do? He served EVERY person he met. He taught them. He healed them. He cast demons out of them. He fed them. He washed their feet. He loved them. He blessed their children. He raised them from the dead. And then, in the end, He gave His own life for them. He died for the very people who killed Him. His last words to His Father for them were, “Father, forgive them…” Until the moment that He died, our Savior Jesus Christ was our perfect example of humility. And what did God promise towards the humble. He said that in His timing He would exalt them. Verses 9-11 show us that God was faithful to that promise. “Wherefore…” That word means, “Because of all of that, God did all of this…” God raised up His humble Son to the most high position possible.

Conclusion: Therefore, if we are going to think like Jesus, we must have a Heart for Others. Jesus always considered others before Himself. Jesus always put the needs and desires of others before his own. Jesus was the most humble man who ever lived. If we are going to think like Jesus, we must think of others before ourselves. Let’s pray…

Excelencias de la Sabiduría - The Excellence of Wisdom

2008-05-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday, Adrian and I drove to Ojinaga, Mexico in the state of Camargo, right on the border of Presidio, Texas to pick up Brother Lanny Ashcraft and some supplies for a medical team that is here for this coming week.

On the trip home, as Brother Lanny was driving, I was reading in Proverbs 2 and the Lord was speaking to me through His Word. Something about the beauty of the Spanish language, or maybe my own interpretation of it, made these verses stand out to me in a more clear understanding than I'd had before.

Listen:
“Hijo mío, si recibieres mis palabras, y mis mandamientos guardares dentro de ti, Haciendo estar atento tu oído a la sabiduría; Si inclinares tu corazón a la prudencia, si clamares a la inteligencia, y a la prudencia dieres tu voz; Si como a la plata la buscares, y la escudriñares como a tesoros, Entonces entenderás el temor de Jehová, Y hallarás el conocimiento de Dios. Porque Jehová da la sabiduría, y de su boca viene el conocimiento y la inteligencia. El provee de sana sabiduría a los rectos; es escudo a los que caminan rectamente. Es el que guarda las veredas del juicio, y preserva el camino de sus santos. Entonces entenderás justicia, juicio, y equidad, y todo buen camino. Cuando la sabiduría entrare en tu corazón, y la ciencia fuere grata a tu alma, la discreción te guardará; te preservará le inteligencia, Para librarte del mal camino…”

Here is my interpretation of this awesome passage:

"My son, if you will receive my words, and keep my commandments inside of you, they will make your ear attentive to wisdom; If you will bow your heart to prudence, if you will call out to understanding and will raise your voice to prudence; If you will seek it like silver, and will search for it like treasures, Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will find the knowledge of God. Because the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He provides sound wisdom to the righteous; He is a shield to them that walk righteously. It is He who keeps the paths of judgment, and perserves the way of his saints. Then you will understand justice, judgment, and equity, and every good way. When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge becomes pleasure to your soul, discretion will guard you; knowledge will preserve you, to free you from the wicked way..."

This passage was just an incredible reminder and challenge to me when I read it. I was reminded of my need to seek wisdom, to ask it of God, who gives liberally to all men, and it will be given to me. And the area that I most need wisdom in now is in relation to missions, the work on the field, the support-raising process, the decision on mission boards, and other questions. So the Lord pointed out to me that I was sitting even then next to a man of God who has been serving Him on the field here in Mexico for more than 30 years. So I put down my Bible and began to shoot questions to Brother Lanny regarding the different areas in which I had questions. It was a very neat thing to hear him tell stories of what had happened in his life, stories from the mission field, and advice concerning the process.

So I am grateful to God for His wisdom and ask that He will give me more each day...

Congratulations, Brother Martin and Sister Vickie

2008-04-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

I would just like to send out a congratulations to Hermano Martin and his wife Vickie on the birth of their son, Adam. We just got back from the hospital and after waiting for about 4 hours, I got the privilege of being the first person outside of the family to hold little Adam. I don't have any of the girly details like how much he weighs, how long he is, or how long she was in labor because, well, I'm not a girl :o) But I did think you'd all like to see the picture I got of Mom, Grandma, and Grandson before I go to bed. He is such a cute little baby. He's got a full head of hair and the cutest little face. Anyway, congratulations, Brother Martin and Sister Vickie!

Lessons I've Learned

2008-04-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today as I was teaching the youth in Sunday School, I noticed a couple of things that God has been using to teach me a couple of lessons this afternoon.

The first thing is really a praise. For one thing, every Sunday we're having more youth come to the Sunday School hour to study with us. This is very encouraging to me, not for number's sake, but because it shows me that the youth are learning, or being challenged by God's Word, or at the very least, understanding what I'm trying to teach :o) We have been studying "How to Think Like Jesus", and I believe these passages from the Bible are really connecting with their needs at these crucial stages of their lives. So praise the Lord for reaching and teaching them and for using and teaching me at the same time!

Another thing I noticed this morning taught me a couple of different things. What I noticed was that at the end of the lesson today, I felt like this lesson really connected with every teen in that room. I'm sure it probably sounds really impressive to all of you uni-lingual people back in the States that I'm trying to teach all in Spanish. But in reality, I just prepare my notes ahead of time with, literally, everything I'm planning to say. So at times, I'm more reading my notes than communicating personally. I mean that's fine and everything (didn't Charles Spurgeon do the same and just read his sermons?), but now I'm starting to get to the point where I can leave my notes more often and just speak about whatever the Holy Spirit is laying on my heart. I always noticed when I was working with the teens at Cornerstone that those were the times when I seemed to connect best with the teens - when the Holy Spirit leads me to speak about something I wasn't planning on speaking about. That way, only God can get the glory for the teaching and its effect on the teens lives, not some clever way I devised my lesson.

Well, anyway, at the end of the lesson today, I put down my notes and just talked to the teens. I tried to emphasize to them when I shared my testimony that I am nothing special - I am not some kind of significant person that God is sending to another country - but that I am only a slave of Jesus Christ. I told them that the only reason that God is leading me and using me is because I made the decision to surrender my life to Him when I was 12 years old. And we've been together long enough now, and I've messed up my Spanish enough times, that they've seen that I'm nothing special. Today we talked about the lives of 4 men in the Bible that God used in a very powerful way - Abraham, Joseph, David, and Saul/Paul. We studied what their lives were like before God called them and what their lives were like after they surrendered their plans and followed God's will for their lives. So at the end, I just tried to communicate to them how much bigger God's plans are for them than any plans they could have for their own lives. And it was one of those times where we really connected. I mean every person in that room met my eyes. There was nobody talking, looking around, or doing other things. It was very powerful to me to see God working in their hearts and challenging their thinking.

That taught me two things. #1 - You can communicate more sometimes through "heart language" than you can through spoken language. I know I messed up my Spanish, probably, when I left my notes, but they all got exactly what I was trying to communicate. #2 - That I still need to work on learning more Spanish. Seeing that it is more effective to communicate heart-to-heart, I really need to become more knowledgable of the language so that I can communicate more fluently and be able to be free to say whatever the Holy Spirit leads me to speak on.

So I am very encouraged today! I am encouraged that God chooses and uses weak vessels. I am encouraged that God qualifies the called. I am encouraged that the youth here are hungry for God's Word. And I am encouraged that God can use me and teach me at the same time. We serve a great and powerful God who gives us the blessed opportunity of being a part of reaping eternal fruit in our world.!

Sunday School Message #4

2008-04-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Introduction: OK, let’s get started. We have a lot to cover today and I want to make sure we have time to finish everything. We’re studying “How to think like Jesus”. We’ve seen so far that in order to think like Jesus, you must have a Heart for the Lost. And last week we saw that you must have a Heart for Prayer. Today, we’re going to study the third area that will help us think like Jesus: A Heart for God’s Will. We’re going to study the lives of 4 people from the Bible and what I want us to see is this – God has a plan for your life, and that plan is greater than any plans you could have for your own life. Let’s begin in prayer and we’ll start studying.

3. A Heart for God’s Will – Surrender
a. Abraham (Genesis 12)
i. Before God’s Call
- We see first of all that Abraham had a comfortable life. He had the typical life of a person who lived in that day. He had a large family who all lived near each other. He had a big herd of animals that provided his income. You could say everything was going well for him. For all we know, Abraham could have lived that life comfortably and happily for the rest of his life. But God had other plans
ii. Response to God’s Call
- In chapter 12, we see God’s call to Abraham. We’ve talked a little about this before, but I want us to review it again now. God spoke to Abraham and said, “Go from your land, and from your parents, to a land that I will show you...” God did not tell Abraham where he was going. He didn’t tell him how far. He didn’t tell him for how long. He just said, “Go…” Now to Abraham, this plan probably did not make sense. It was not logical. Why would God tell him to leave everything that he had lived for? Why should he leave the land where the rest of his family was to go to some other place? But God did offer him a promise at the same time. He said, “I will make you a great nation…” Now I personally believe that Abraham would have still obeyed God even if he had not received the promise. In our lives, when God calls us to do something, our obedience should not be based on a reward. Do you know what I mean? We should not answer God, “What will I get from you if I do what you say?” Our obedience should be immediate and unconditional. In this case, God did choose to tell Abraham what his reward would be, and Abraham had faith in the promises of God.
iii. After God’s Call
- I also told you before that Abraham’s faith was demonstrated again after he surrendered His life to God’s call. After God called Abraham, Abraham immediately surrendered to God, obeyed God, and then continued on. Verse 4 tells us that he traveled through , through , to and then God spoke to him again. Studying the geography of that land, we learn that Abraham traveled over 400 miles before God talked to Him again with further instructions. Abraham continued to show his faith in God’s promises even after he surrendered his life to God’s plans for his life. And in the end, we see that God was indeed faithful to Abraham. He did make him a great nation. He did multiply his descendants more than the stars in the sky. And it was through the line of Abraham that God chose to send His own son, the Messiah, the Savior of the world into the world. The plans that God had for Abraham’s life were much greater than Abraham’s plans for his own life.

b. Joseph (Genesis 37)
i. Before God’s Call
- In Genesis chapter 37, we learn about the life of Joseph. Joseph was one of 12 brothers in a very unusual family. We read in verse 3 that his father Jacob loved Joseph more than all of his children, because he was born in his old age and also because he was the firstborn of his favorite wife, Rachel. We see that before God called Joseph to the very special plan He had for him, Joseph would have lived a very comfortable and enjoyable life. Being his father’s favorite son, he was already receiving special treatment over his brothers. And we don’t typically understand the significance of the coat of many colors that Joseph’s father gave him. In that time, to have a very expensive and distinct tunic like this one was a symbol of authority. It meant that this person was the person in charge. It meant that this person is more important than the others. Occasionally, in our society, we can still see this type of symbolism. For example, sometimes in a restaurant or a department store, the manager will wear something that is different or more formal than the other employees. We can see how Joseph’s brothers responded to this when they said in verse 8, “Shall you indeed reign over us?”
ii. Response to God’s Call
- Now for Joseph, the call of God came in quite an unusual way. And in fact, it is possible to say that at the time, Joseph didn’t even realize that it was the call of God. But we see throughout this story that Joseph was completely surrendered to the will of God for His life – even at the times when it seemed that God was not in control or had made a mistake.
iii. After God’s Call
- The story of Joseph is one of my favorite in all of the Bible. He is the only character I have found in the Bible in whom we see no fault or sin. What I mean is that in every situation we find Joseph, he made the right choice and He trusted in the sovereignty of God even when he was unjustly treated. The plans God had for Joseph were to save the entire nation of Egypt, his entire family, and once again, the line through which Jesus Christ would enter the world. Joseph is a perfect example of faithfulness. He lived a life totally and completely surrendered to the will of God, even when he didn’t understand it. The plans that God had for Joseph’s life were much greater than Joseph’s plans for his own life.

c. David (I Samuel 16)
i. Before God’s Call
- Now let’s look at another famous character from the Bible – David. Where was David before God called him. He was out in the fields watching over his father’s sheep, playing music, and writing songs to the Lord. While we really don’t have any way of knowing what David had planned for his life, we see that he was already living a peaceful, typical life of any other youth of his time. He was the youngest of his brothers and was demonstrating a humble and obedient heart to his father.
ii. Response to God’s Call
- David had an advantage that most of us do not have. He was called very specifically by God at a very young age. When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s house that day to visit, God told him to anoint David as the next king of Israel. David knew exactly what God wanted for him and was surrendered to the will of God.
iii. After God’s Call
- But the thing I want us to notice with David was his trust and confidence in the timing of God’s will. Remember, from the time he was quite young, he knew that he would be the next king of Israel. So he goes about his life, continuing as a shepherd of his father’s sheep. One day, he hears that his older brothers and the army of Israel are at war. His father sends him to the battlefield to take food to his older brothers. David obeys. Have you noticed that David never said to his father, “Hey you shouldn’t be telling me what to do anymore, because I’m going to be the next king of Israel.” No, he continued on faithfully and obediently. When God uses him and he has killed the giant, do we see David trying to then claim the throne of Israel? No, he returned home and was faithful to where God had him. Later on, when King Saul starts to get jealous of him and tries to kill him, does he start a rebellion to take over the throne? No. So he flees into the mountains with his men. And then he gets an opportunity that most people would have taken. One day as he is hiding in the caves, King Saul comes into his cave, unaware of David’s presence and goes to sleep. David approaches with his men telling him, “God has given Saul into your hands. Take his life and take his throne.” But David’s response to them is, “How can I touch God’s anointed?” And he leaves Saul in peace. David not only surrendered to God’s plan, but to God’s timing.
- To be quite honest, this is an area that I really struggle with. Through various stages of my life, God has shown me the next steps He wants me to take in following His will. But my problem, then, has always been to trust God with the timing. As you all know, I’m 26 years-old right now. And obviously, I would really like to be married right now. But that has not been what God wants for me yet. In God’s timing, He will bring me a wife, if it is His will for me to be married. OK, so even more recently, I believe that God is calling me to move down here to Mexico and serve Him as a missionary. And to be honest with you all, I am struggling even right now with God’s timing for all of this. If it were up to me, I would go home next month, pack up what I need, sell what I don’t need, and move right back down here. But in God’s timing, it will probably be a year or more before I can get back here full-time. And I am learning to trust in God’s timing for even this next stage of my life. Once again, we see that God went on to use David for great and powerful things, including being part of the line that brought Jesus Christ into the world. Again we see that the plans that God had for David’s life were much greater than David’s plans for his own life.

d. Paul (Acts 9)
i. Before God’s Call
- In this last character, we will see the most dramatic change between the plans they had for their own life and the plans God had for their life. It is the man Saul, later known as the Apostle Paul. What was his life like before God called him? He was a very committed and dedicated Pharisee. He says of himself in Philippians 3 that he was “of the stock of Israel…” When we first meet Saul at the end of Acts 7, he was present and approving of the murder of Steven. He was convinced, as the other Pharisees, that Jesus was a false prophet and that all of His followers were a threat to their religion. Look together at Acts chapter 8 and verse 3: “Saul…” Now look at Acts 9:1-2.
ii. Response to God’s Call
- Somebody read Acts 9:3-8 for us, please. Here we see the very dramatic and specific call of God to Saul, this great persecutor of the church. Notice Saul’s immediate response to seeing Jesus face-to-face. He first says, “Who are you, Lord?” and then asks, “Lord, what will you have me do?” Nobody could describe better what should be our response to God’s call. “Lord, what will you have me do?”
- Young people, hear me. God has a plan for each one of your lives. And God is calling to each one of you, to do something special for Him. What will be your response? Will you answer, like Saul, “Lord, what will you have me do?”
iii. After God’s Call
- I don’t think any one of needs to be told what Saul, now called Paul, went out and did for God after he surrendered to His call. He literally changed the world. He became the world’s greatest missionary. He was used by God to write over half of the New Testament. In the end, he was killed for his faith, having lived a faithful life of service and surrender to the same Lord who appeared to him on the Road to Damascus that day. Again we see that the plans that God had for Paul’s life were much greater than Paul’s plans for his own life.

Conclusion: So the one thing I want all of you to learn from this lesson today is this: God has a plan for your life. That plan is greater than anything that you could dream or want for yourself. And there is only one thing that you need to do to begin to learn what that plan is. You must surrender your will to God’s will. You must be willing to do anything, to go anywhere, and to seek God’s will every day. Why would God show you His will for your life if you were not willing to do it? Now understand, He will not show you His whole plan for you all at once. He will lead you one step at a time, through His Word. And we’ll be talking about that more in a couple of weeks. God has a plan for your life, but you must be surrendered to that plan. Ask God in prayer every day, "Lord, what will you have me do?" Let’s pray…

Sunday School Message #3

2008-04-19T12:42:00.001-07:00

4/20/08

2. A Heart for Prayer
Intro: Before we start today, I’d like somebody to remind me what we’re studying in this class. “How to Think Like Jesus”. And what was it that we talked about last week? A Heart for the Lost. Because remember that if we are going to think like Jesus, we must first of all develop a love for the lost, like Jesus had. Today, we’re going to study the second thing we need to think like Jesus – A Heart for Prayer. So let’s begin in prayer.

A. I Jn.5:14-15
Look first of all at I Jn.5:14-15. In this passage we learn that God answers our prayers because we are His children. Let me ask you this: Can God answer the prayers of a lost person? The answer, I believe, is yes. We can see times in the Scriptures and throughout history that God has answered the prayer of an unbeliever, but it was always with the result that they believed on Him and then received Him as their Savior. God can answer the prayer of an unbeliever, but He is under no obligation to.

B. Jn.14:13-14
Next, look at Jn.14:13-14. Jesus tells us here, “Y todo lo que pidiereis al Padre en mi nombre, esto haré, para que el Padre sea glorificado en el Hijo.” In his life on earth, Jesus was always trying to bring glory to His Father. And so He does when He answers our prayers. All of Jesus’ life was lived for the purpose of glorifying His Father. We’ll be looking at that area more in the next two weeks.

C. Lk.11:5-8,9-13; Matt.7:7-11
Look now at a passage in Luke. In this passage, Jesus asks the people He was teaching, how they would respond if they knew that somebody had a need, or even just a desire. He says, which of you who has a friend who is hungry would refuse to give him something to eat? The answer is obvious. None of us would do that. So Jesus then says, “If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to those who ask you, how much more will your Father who is in heaven?” God our Father loves us. And He is ready and waiting to give us the things that we ask for. But His desire is for us to ask those things of Him; then He will give us those things He already wants to give us. What a privilege we have in prayer to call upon the power and love of our Heavenly Father.

D. Mat.6:1-13; Lk.18:10-14
This next passage speaks not only of prayer, but of our Christianity in general. Matthew 6:1 says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus was speaking here of the religious practices of the Pharisees. Listen to what this passage says about them. When they came to the temple to give, they would sound a trumpet so that everyone would gather around to see what they were giving to the poor. Jesus says, “They have already received their reward.” The praise they received from men was the only reward they would receive. Jesus says, “When you give, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” The idea He is trying to communicate is that your giving is a personal matter between you and God. We are to give what God tells us, to whom God tells us, and when God tells us. And consider this. Someone once said, “You have never truly given, until you have given to somebody who can never repay you.” Jesus said, “When you do anything for the least of people, you did it unto me; and when you don’t do something for the least of people, you didn’t do it unto me.” Then Jesus applies the same principle to prayer. He says, “Don’t be like the Pharisees, who stand in the temple and on the street corners and pray loudly with long prayers so that people will hear them. But when you pray, go into your closet and pray to your Father who hears in secret and will reward you openly.”
He then gives them a sample prayer, which we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus did not intend to give them some type of magic words here, but rather, a demonstration of our attitude in prayer. In this prayer we see worship (“Our Father…hallowed be thy name”), surrender (“Your will be done”), petition (“Give us this day”), repentance (“Forgive us our sins…”), guidance (“Lead us not into temptation”), protection (“Deliver us from evil”), and praise (“Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever”). When we pray to God with this attitude, He hears us.

E. Jms.4:2-3
Look now at another passage in James very briefly. This passage tells us first of all that often we don’t have what we need, because we have not asked for it. I ask you this, as I often ask myself: “Is prayer to you a first reaction or a last resort?” Too many times, I find in my own life that prayer is just a last resort. It’s like, “Well, I’ve tried everything else, so I guess I should just pray about it now. But no, prayer should be our first reaction to any situation. Then notice in verse 3, that it is possible for us to ask for the wrong reasons. In this case, God will not answer out prayers. Biblical prayer is not like a genie in a bottle who will grant us any 3 wishes we want; biblical prayer is to request the right thing for the right reasons and receive the answer from our Father in heaven.

F. Lk.18:1-5; I Ths.5:16
When should we pray? I Thessalonians 5 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” We have talked about how Jesus would often teach in parables. Well look at this parable in Luke 18. Luke tells us, “This parable Jesus taught that men should always pray and not lose heart.” It is the story of a widow who comes to an unrighteous king, begging for justice against her enemy. The king refuses, but she continues to beg him. Time and time again, she asks him. Then eventually, the king grants her request, so that she will stop asking. This is the attitude we should have with God in prayer. Never give up. Pray and pray and pray and pray until God answers, because He has promised that He will.

G. Mat. 21:21-22; Jms.1:5-8
Now comes the most important element of prayer – faith. If we are to learn to pray effectively, we must pray with faith. This is something that God has been teaching me in the past few months. Matthew 21:21 says, “If you have faith and do not doubt… whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

H. Eph.3:20
Lastly, listen to this verse about God’s power to answer prayer. “Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”

I. A prayer of Jesus – Gethsemane/John 17
As we close today, I want us to examine one of the prayers of Jesus. We know from the Gospels that Jesus was often in prayer, regularly and consistently. We one of those prayers is actually recorded for us in John chapter 17. It was Christ’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Have you ever wondered what Christ was praying for that night, when He saw the cross before him and his disciples all around Him? He prayed for so long that they fell asleep 3 times. We see in His prayer His human fear combined with His humble surrender. He prays in Mark, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me; but not my will, but yours be done.” Look now at His prayer in John 17. “Father, the hour is come. Glorify your son, that your son may glorify you.” Again we see that Christ’s main desire on earth was to bring glory to His Father in heaven. “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world,” Jesus prayed for His disciples. “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” Now listen to this: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” Who is that? That is you. Jesus prayed for you. He prayed for me. Because somewhere, if we were able to follow the trail all the way back, we have heard about Jesus through the testimony of the 12 disciples. Peter preached the gospel at Pentecost and 3,000 people were saved. They then went out across the world preaching the gospel. And that same gospel was passed down through the years, and eventually, somebody told you about this Jesus. You believed on Jesus through the testimony of the disciples. Jesus prayed for you in the garden that night. What an amazing thought!
So if we are going to think like Jesus, we must begin by developing a Heart for the Lost. And then, we must have a Heart for Prayer. If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, needed to spend time in prayer, how much more do we? Remember that one of Jesus’ purposes for coming to earth was to give us a perfect example to follow. A heart for prayer will help us to think like Jesus. Let’s pray…

"Cual Es La Mejor? (Which Is the Best?)"

2008-04-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

This question I asked the youth last Sunday. And it is the question I have been asking myself for the last year or so. We were talking with the youth about God's perfect plan for their lives. I heard this question in a sermon, but now I don't remember who said it or where. But God has used it in my life and continues to use it.

I am here to decide if God wants me to come here permanently to serve Him here in Mexico. I have surrendered my life to serve God full-time in whatever capacity He will allow me. And in seeking different ministries to serve in, there are many good options. So it is with life. There are many good things that we could do. But... "Which is the best?"

Thus have I seached the Scriptures for God's thoughts on our lives. He says, "Go into ALL the world, and preach the gospel to EVERY creature." He says, "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and to the uttermost parts of the world." Paul says, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God Himself were making His request through us: Be reconciled to God." John says, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." It has been accurately said that there is only one thing here on earth that we will not be able to do in heaven - and it is for that purpose that we are left here on the earth. It is to tell sinners that they can be reconciled to God!

I don't think any Christian would disagree that we are called to be a witness to the lost. But again, I take the question even to location of ministry. "There are many good places you could serve God, but which is the best?" In this, I do remember very vividly an illustration that was given when I was in college. A man was preaching about Jesus feeding the 5,000. He said this: "Imagine this situation. Jesus has prayed and broken the bread and fish as the disciples begin to help distribute the food. They take the food to the families closest to Jesus and when the baskets empty, come back for more. Then they take the food again to the people closest to Jesus. Again, they run out before all the people have eaten. They get more food from Jesus and again, feed the same people. How long will it be before the people in the back begin to cry out, 'Jesus, what about us? We're hungry, too! We need to eat! Jesus, what about us?"

How many times have you been witnessing in the States and encountered somebody who has NEVER heard the name of Jesus, somebody who has never seen a Bible, or somebody who is literally crying out for a Savior? For me, it has been rare - in fact, almost never. But leave the country! Abandon the spoiled, selfish American Dream and get out into the real life of most of the world - one lived somewhere between hunger/poverty and a hard-working life with basic needs sufficiently met. Where is the best place with the most potential for reaching the lost? In my view right now, it's anywhere outside the U.S.

Brother Randy said something to me the other day that was very eye-opening. He said, "You know brother, this thing about following God's will isn't as hard as we make it out to be. God just opens and closes doors and we're supposed to walk through them." So for me, thus far in my thinking, God is opening doors for me to come here. And until He closes them, I'm going to walk through them. And looking at my life NOW, in considering many good ministries, "Which is the best?" I have nothing to keep me in the States. Possessions? I have a few, but what are they, other than distractions to keep me entertained and passified while the world dies and goes to hell. Family? Nothing means more to me in the world, but to be in Mexico, I wouldn't be much more out of contact than in the States, given that they are still traveling and I am not. Church? Absolutely, I have the best church family I could ask for. But they also have such a vision for the world and a philosophy of missions, that I would be no less a part of our church if I were here in Mexico full-time. What else do I have to go back for? Nothing.

So has God prepared me for Mexico? Now, I am 26 years old, single, looking for where God could use me, and now can speak Spanish (still learning, yes, but well enough :o) And the phrase that always is a comfort to me is this: "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called." As a preacher in college said, "God chooses the boneheads." God chooses the weak vessels, so that He can be glorified through them. God always makes His will unmistakably clear. But right now, I don't see why I wouldn't come back, I don't believe I shouldn't come back, and I can't see how I won't be coming back. If God closes the doors, so be it. But as of now, they are open wide!!!

Jesus said, "Open your eyes and look to the fields, for they are white already unto harvest. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into the field."

To Seek and To Save

2008-04-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, April 12th, we gathered at the church to go out on visitation, like every week. But a couple of things I saw today inspired me to write what I had seen. Some Saturdays we go to the town center and hand out tracts to people. One Saturday we visited all of the church members. This week it was time to go knocking on people's doors. I was reminded of the passage I was studying for Sunday School - that Jesus was intentional and deliberate in seeking the lost.

The first thing I saw was so convicting to me. It was Joaquin. He is 8 years old and he lives at the ranch. When we arrived at the section of town where we were going to knock doors, we split up. I was expecting little Joaquin to join up with one of the adults or something. But no, he took his stack of tracts and walked right up to the first house and knocked on the door, just as if it were his best friends house. What a coward I am! The last time I knocked on a door was in Canada and I was afraid to do so without another one of the guys from the hockey team with me. I, along with many other Christians in America, have been a spiritual coward.

The next thing I saw was a reminder of the power of prayer. You know, sometimes we have to wait days, months, or years to see answers to our prayers. But I was reminded yesterday that God is able to answer a prayer in an instant. Adrian and I went up to a house with a big white gate and called out to anyone inside. A lady named Marcelina came out to see us. She has been raised Catholic and had already heard of all the Scriptures Adrian and I were sharing with her. As Adrian explained the plan of salvation and her need for a Savior, I would pray specifically for her and see God answering prayers within seconds! She looked confused as Adrian explained that she needed a personal Savior and not a priest. I prayed, "God help her to understand..." Her countenance began to change and she began to nod her head in agreement. Adrian explained to her that it is a decision that needs to be made at a specific point in time. He asked her if she wanted to pray right then to receive Christ. She backed up and said, "Well, I just don't see why it is necessary, because I already go to church." I thought that maybe she felt intimidated by this American and another stranger. So I prayed, "God give her the courage to make this decision now." So Adrian talked to her for a few minutes and again, she began to understand and nod in agreement. When he asked her again, she said yes she understood, and yes she wanted to pray right then. So she prayed and received Christ that day.

What an amazing God we serve and what a privilege we have to be involved in the saving of souls. But what a responsibility! Don't be afraid. Don't fear. You are a beggar who has found the Bread of Life. Now go and tell other beggars where to find it as well.

My New Brothers and Sisters

2008-04-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post the names and ages of all the teens in our youth group here at Iglesia Bautista La Fe so that all of you will be able to pray for them specifically by name.

Rosa Yarely -14
Ana Elizet -14
Ana Isabel - 14
Tomas - 18
Jose Luis - 18
Mario - 18
Israel - 20
Michel - 14
Jesus - 17
Marisela - 15
Claudia - 17
Luis - 17
Salma - 13
Manuel -18
Fransisco - 17
Diego - 17
Luis - 16
Ernesto - 14
Nancy - 15
Yadera - 18

Just for a bit more information, y'all from Cornerstone will remember the boys - Jesus, Diego, Mario, Fransisco (Keeko), Sergio (Keko), Jose Luis (Pepo), and Tomas. Rosa Yarele and the Ana twins were both also here last summer and some of you will remember them from this picture. Oh and Sydney, I told Rosa today that you said to tell her hi, and she says hi back. She remembers you, too. She showed me a picture of you and Christina on her cell phone and said, "This is Sydney, right?" Luis, Salma, and Manuel don't go to church, we invited them off of the streets to come help us clean up the ranch and then invited them to our youth activity at the church and they all came. Michel is a guy I want you all to pray specifically for. He is the newest boy living at the ranch. He came last summer, just after all the groups left. He is VERY quiet and withdrawn. But I have noticed him in Sunday School. He is paying attention and listening to me just so intently. I told Brother Randy about it, and he was very excited. He told me that Michel is always in his Bible for long amounts of time every day and every night. God has got some great plans for that guy! I believe he is a missionary-in-training. Please pray for me and all of my kids!

Sunday School Message #2

2008-04-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

4/13/08

Intro: OK, we’re going to start now. I am very excited and very grateful for the opportunity to teach all of you. But remember that I am still learning Spanish, so if you don’t understand me, just tell me and I’ll try to tell you another way, ok? Well, I have been thinking about what topic we should study in only 2 months. I want to help all of you in the biggest way possible in so short of a time. So I want us to study something from the life of Christ. Do you remember last Sunday how I told you that I have a great burden and love for teenagers because I believe that you are in the most important years of your life and that the decisions you are making now are going to change the rest of your lives? Well, it is because of that that I want us to study this topic. Because we don’t have much time together, I want us to study something that will help you to make your important decisions in the way that Jesus would. For the next 8 weeks, I want us to study “How To Think LIke Jesus.” Why is it so important to know what Jesus would think? Do you remember when many people would wear those bracelets that said “What would Jesus do?” You will often see that phrase in a Christian book store or magazine. That is a very good question to ask ourselves in our lives, because as Christians, we are commanded to be followers of Christ. In fact, the very word “Christian” means “little Christ”. The Bible commands us to “be followers of God as dear children.” So if we are to live holy lives as Christians, we must learn to make our choices in the same way that Christ did. And the only way for us to know why Christ made the choices He did, is to study and learn how Jesus thought. If we can think like Jesus, we will make our choices as He would.

Therefore, in our study today, I want us to examine the thing that was always first in the mind of Christ. Today I want us to examine the mind of Christ and His attitude toward the lost. We’re going to look at several passages of Scripture to try and understand how the Son of God felt about sinners.

The first is in San Lucas 19:10. In the most basic sense, why did Jesus come? Look at what this verse says. Somebody read that for us please. “To seek and save that which was lost.” Jesus Himself tells us his exact purpose for coming to this earth. He came here for the purpose of seeking and saving every person who was lost. What does this verse tell us about the great love that Christ has for the lost? You all know what the Bible says in San Juan 3:16. For God so loved… If we are to think like Christ, we must begin where He began – with a deep love for the lost. Now I will admit, it is often hard to love an unbeliever. Right? When we see a person experiencing the results and the punishment for their sin, it is repulsive to us. It is hard to love a man who lies in the street, smelly, and dirty from the alcohol he has been drinking. It is hard to love a person who has robbed, abused, or killed another human being. But when Jesus saw the world that He had created, He saw sinners who needed a Savior. I remember this one time when my family and I were at a park in Ohio. Well, as we were standing in line together, we saw these two men who were obviously homosexuals. One of the two was wearing nylons, makeup, and lipstick. So my first reaction was disgust. My brothers and sisters and I were talking about the two and how disgusting they were together. But then I remember my dad turning around and saying to us, “They just need Jesus.” And I realized He was right. The love that Jesus had for sinners is something that is not natural to us, and we need to ask Him in prayer to give us that kind of love.

Let’s look at another passage in San Lucas 15. The first thing we’re going to see in this passage is something that you will often see in the Four Gospels. The sinners gathered to hear Jesus teach; the Pharisees murmured and talked bad about them. Jesus often taught the people through parables, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, and in this chapter He teaches 3 stories that all mean the same thing. The first is the story of the lost sheep (4-7). Notice especially in verse 7 that Jesus says that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 people who need no repentance. And remember what two crowds Jesus is talking to. There is obviously nobody who does not need repentance according to other passages in the Bible. But Jesus was referring to those Pharisees standing around who thought that they needed no repentance because they were already righteous. The second is the story of the lost coin (8-10). Notice in this passage the diligence with which the woman was searching for the coin. Jesus didn’t merely walk around Israel hoping to find sinners to save. He was active and diligent and intentional in his pursuit of sinners. The third story is that of the lost son. (11-32). Notice in this story the depth of sin the son committed and the amount of pain that must have caused his father. He took all of his inheritance, moved to a far-away land, wasted his money, and eventually returned with nothing. Yet still, we see that the Father was ready, waiting, and excited for his lost son to return. This is the attitude of Jesus towards the lost.

Look now at San Mateo 9:35(36)-38. Though Jesus was constantly surrounded by people, He never became cold to them or inconsiderate of their needs. He was moved to compassion by the multitudes. And then, He gives us a wonderful view of His heart as he sadly replies, “The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” If we are to think like Christ, we must never lose that vision that was constantly on His heart. As one of my teachers in college used to say, “Walk slowly through the crowd.” That means to be sensitive to those around you. Don’t just go about your life, busy and preoccupied, ignoring the needs of people around you. Learn to be sensitive to people in your life and take every opportunity to tell somebody about Jesus.

Also in San Mateo 9:10-13 we see Christ’s attitude toward the lost. He said that those who are well so not need a physician, but the sick. Again, we must see past the rough, dirty exterior of sinners and learn to see them as just another sinner who needs to be saved. Tell me this – when you are going fishing, what must you do first? Will you catch the fish first, or clean it first? You have to catch it of course. So it is with the hearts of men. God will capture their heart first; then He will begin to clean up their lives and change them to look more like His perfect Son.

Next, we see an interesting story in San Lucas 7:36-50. This story takes place in the house of one of the Pharisees named Simon. Jesus is sitting there with the Pharisees, when this woman comes in to see him. Now this was a woman who was well known in the town for her immorality. In order for us to understand this story, we need to know a few things about the traditions of this country. It was common that when a person received a guest into their home, they would greet them at the door with a kiss. Then they would have a servant with a basin of water who would wash the guest’s feet before they sat down for dinner and fellowship. And last, they would anoint their head with a sweet-smelling oil. It was their way of showing honor to their guest. Although this Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner, he obviously did not show Him the proper respect. Listen to Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ judgmental thoughts (44-47). The Pharisees sat there the entire time that this woman was showing her love for Jesus judging her, judging him, and considering themselves better than her. Jesus answered her actions with forgiveness and their thoughts with correction. Hermanos y hermanas, think about this. In Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees, he said, “She loves much, because she has been forgiven much; but he who has been forgiven little, loves little.” Now think about your own life. Nobody knows who you really are except for you. Right? Have you heard the word “integrity” before? Pastors will often say that we need to be people of integrity. Well if you would like a simple and convicting definition of integrity, it is this: Integrity is who you are when nobody but God is watching you. Think about that. It’s sad isn’t it? Oh we can all put on a good face at church. We can all look, talk, and act like a good Christian when there are other Christians around us. But what are you like when there is nobody else around. THAT is who you really are. We like to think we are good people because we haven’t done “really bad” sins. We haven’t killed anybody, stolen anything really big, or had sex outside of marriage. But to God, all sin is equally sin. There is none of us who has been forgiven little. I want you to think for just a minute about your own life, and your own sins. Think about who you really are. When you do that, you will begin to realize just how much you have been forgiven. And the more you have been forgiven, the more you will love Jesus. Though none of us likes to think about our sins, it is helps to keep us humble and to have a greater love for the One who has forgiven us of all our sins. Let’s look at two more passages and we’re done for today.

San Mateo 24:14. Look first of all at verse 3. Jesus is telling His disciples what things will be like just before the end of the world, when He will return to take us home. In verse 14, Jesus tells them that He will not return until all of the world has heard the gospel. Again we see that Jesus’ heart is for all people of the world to hear the truth and have the opportunity to accept and receive it.

And lastly, turn to San Mateo 28:18-20. This is the passage of Scripture known as the Great Commission. These were Jesus’ last words in His physical earthly body. Have you ever thought what you would like to be said at your funeral? Or if you were told that today would be your last day on earth, what would you want to say to your family and loved ones? A person’s final message will always represent their heart’s deepest desires and feelings. Jesus was no different. As His final words to His people, He commanded them, now us, to go to all nations and to preach the gospel to every creature. This was the heart and mind of Jesus. He came to seek and to save those which were lost. And as His final command to His people, He told them to carry on that mission that He had lived for.

Conclusion: So for the first point in our study of “How to Think Like Christ”, we must remember that The Heart of Christ was for the Lost. In everything that we do in our lives, we must not forget that the people all around us are dying. And although they don’t know it, and some will deny it, they are all looking for God. They are looking for something that will give their lives purpose and meaning. God has placed an emptiness inside of every person leads them to seek Him. And we have the answer! Don’t be afraid to share it! Don’t be so selfish that you don’t share it! We fear rejection; but people do not reject us. Sometimes they reject Jesus, but that is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to share the truth. Somebody once said, “We are beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.” We are not better than unbelievers. But we have found the bread of life. Let us think like Jesus, walk slowly through the crowd, and show other beggars where to find bread. Let’s pray…

A New Experience

2008-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I had the opportunity to be a part of something I had never done before - a baby dedication. This morning, Brother Jose Luis and I led a quick service of dedication for the mother and grandmother of little Perla Lisbeth. They came up to the front and I got to hold Perla while Jose Luis gave a challenge of dedication to the mother and grandmother. He then had the church family stand and commit themselves to pray for the family and help them train up little Perla in the ways of the Lord. Then I prayed for her in Spanish. It was what you would call "short and sweet". Praying is one of those things that I usually don't do in Spanish. I mean, I'm not praying to the people; I'm praying to the Lord. But, you know, this is one of those cases where the people want to know what you're praying for, so I prayed in Spanish. Brother Jose Luis just told me about it right before the service, so it's not like I had time to think through the prayer either. Oh well. Again, I am amazed how God will use us and stretch and grow us at the same time! Oh and I know especially all the ladies will want to know that I did get several pictures of Perla. So I'll upload them as soon as I get my camera hooked up.

The service at the jail yesterday went very well. It was only Brother Martin and I this time and we had 11-13 men at the service.Brother Martin led in a couple of songs and then I preached the best that I could in Spanish. It was the first time that I've done so without writing out my notes word-for-word. It was just a basic, simple presentation of the gospel and I told the men that I was not going to share my thoughts and words with them, but the Word of God. So I basically just went through my Scripture Memory verses with them and tried to show them how they can be saved and also what the Bible says about the many excuses that we give for rejecting salvation. At the end, I asked Brother Martin to lead in prayer and give the men the chance to pray and receive Christ. When he did, 9 of them men prayed together with him. The prison ministry is one of those that is difficult to understand how to pray for. Every week, we will have 2 or 3 of the same guys and 4 or 5 new guys. Nearly every time we lead them in a prayer to receive Christ, almost everybody will pray along. So you know, God is the only One to know what is really going on in those men's hearts. But as I told the teens today, our only responsibility is to be faithful to share God's Word with the lost. God will choose whom to save, and when, and where to save them. So I was blessed by the opportunity.

Oh yeah, I wanted to share this with all of you. I also shared it with the group from Cedar Creek during one of our home group meetings last week. God has been teaching me during the last few months how to listen to the promptings of His Holy Spirit in a very real way. What I mean is this. There are often times in my life where I "think" maybe I should do something like witness to someone, give money to somebody, or do something out of the ordinary. But many times, in fact most times, I push that off thinking, "Oh that was just an idea." But I have been realizing that every "thought" of mine to do something good that is out of the ordinary is not my thought at all. It is the Holy Spirit inside of me prompting me to do something for God. I first noticed this the day before I came down here, the day I went out witnessing on the south side of Peoria. I noticed that at times I would have the thought, "Go give that man a tract." And several times, I pushed it off. Once, I only delayed. I was like, "No not that one." But then changed my mind and went to give the guy a tract, but he was already leaving. God showed me that when He promts me, I have ONE chance to obey. And I don't want to miss those chances. So I have been trying to learn how to listen to God in a very clear way every day. And it is so amazing to see the kind of opportunities I'll get.

OK, back to the jail. After the service, Brother Adrian was supposed to pick me up at 4:40. But I figured it would be longer than that because things always run slow down here. So I waited until 5:00, when a lady was walking by. I thought, "I need to give her a tract." Then I realized that I still had a whole stack of tracts in my pocket from the visitation that morning. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. A lady got saved yesterday morning during visitation. I'll write that in another post, though, because this one is already long. OK, so I'm waiting at the jail when I realized I had a whole stack of tracts. God said, "Walk home." So I did. It was only a few miles, but I got to hand out tracts to SO many people. It was like practice for listening to God. A couple times I saw somebody at a house across the street, out of my way, but God said, "God give them one, too." Later on, Adrian was like, "Brother, I'm sorry it took me so long." But I told him, "Don't worry about it, man. I was supposed to walk home." Oh and also I got a liter of Lala Entera milk, the best milk in the world, on the way home. And this time I didn't throw it up. Oh yeah, that's another story. Right, Cedar Creek?

Well, I'm gonna finish this up now. I've got my Sunday School notes from today too, so I'll post those in a few minutes. I love you all! God is good all the time!

Saturday, April 12th

2008-04-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

It's hard to believe that I only have another 57 days here before going back home. Wow, time flies, but it's just another reminder to take advantage of every opportunity I have here. Today I will be preaching at the prison at 4:00 PM, so I could use all of your prayers for that. I'm preaching in Spanish, but it should be pretty easy, because I won't be talking a whole lot except for the verses for evangelism that I've memorized. I just want to give them a simple, clear presentation of the Word of God, because that is what has the power to change their lives, not my words.

Also, I'm walking down to the church in about 20 minutes for our Saturday visitation. That is always exciting because we never know where we will go or whom we will get to visit. Last week with Brother Randy, we visited the houses of several church members and invited them specifically to the morning services that Sunday so that we could take pictures of the entire church family. I also got some video of our visits there and I'm working on putting that together and posting it on Facebook.

My final project for today is to finish my notes for Sunday School and get them all translated into Spanish. Last week I prepared them all in Spanish, but this week I'm trying to prepare them in English and then translate to Spanish. So when I'm finished with all that, I'll post them here in English for all of you to see. We are going to be studying in youth Sunday School "How To Think Like Christ". I told the teens in my lesson last week that my heart is for teenagers because I believe that they are in the most important years of their lives. I told them that they are making decisions now that will change the rest of their lives. And so since our time together is so limited, I want to help them out as much as possible with our Bible studies. If we can learn to think like Jesus, then we will learn to make choices the way that He would. This week we are focusing on Christ's number one concern on this earth - his compassion and heart for the lost. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."

This week we had a group of 16 people visit us from Cedar Creek Church in Aiken, South Carolina. I can't even describe what a blessing and encouragement they were to all of us. We were immediately drawn together as a family. They were a huge help to us in ministering in the village of California and also in helping Brother Randy express to the church his goal to begin home group ministries here in Mexico. On Wednesday night, they shared their testimonies of how God has used their home groups in their church and Brother Wes Holbrook even learned "Open the Eyes of My Heart" in Spanish and sang it for the church. It was just a wonderful time of fellowship and ministry with our family from the States.

Well, I've gotta get steppin' so I'm not late for visitation. Not that it would matter, since we're on Mexican time here. If we "start" at 10, that means people start to show up at 10, and then we start whenever everyone comes. Oh well. God is working and your involvement is greatly appreciated. Thanks, my family!

Sunday School Message #1

2008-04-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I know that most of you won't be able to read this, but I haven't been online in a while and I want to keep you all posted in any way I can. So I'm posting my notes from last Sunday School, only they're in Spanish. So at least it's maybe a little bit of an update for some of you all.

6/4/08
Intro: Buenos Días. Estoy muy emocionado y muy agradecido por la oportunidad de enseñarles. Pero recuerden que aun estoy aprendiendo Español; entonces si no me entienden, solo díganme y yo intentaré de decirles de otra manera, ok? Y no sé si vamos a usar toda la hora esta mañana, porque la única cosa que quiero hacer hoy es compartir mi testimonio con ustedes y para mostrarles unos versículos que el Señor está usando para guiarme ahora mismo.

Mi testimonio:
- Yo no soy nadie. Yo no soy algo especial. La única cosa que yo soy es un esclavo de Jesucristo. No quiero que ustedes a piensen que yo soy una persona muy buena o muy diferente a ustedes. Soy pecador igual que tu. Pero espero que cuando oigan mi testimonio, van a entender que el Señor puede usar a cualquier persona quien entrega su vida a Él.
- Mi historia empieza cuando yo tenía 5 años. A esa edad yo recibí Jesucristo como mi Salvador personal. Yo había oído el evangelio muchas veces antes pero esa fue la primera vez que comprendí que yo era un pecador también. Así que, yo hablé con mis padres y esa noche recibí Jesucristo en mi corazón. Esa noche cambió mi destino. Pero hay otro tiempo que cambió lo resto de mi vida.
- Esto tiempo pasó cuando tenía 12 años. En el verano yo fui a un campamento Cristiano en Wisconsin – en la actualidad es el mismo lugar donde yo fui a la universidad muchos años después. ese verano estaba un predicador allí, se llama Tom Farrell, quien el Señor lo usó en grande manera para hablarme . Me acuerdo muy bien una noche durante esa semana. Estaba sentando allí escuchando el sermón y yo podía percibir la presencia del Señor en una manera muy especial. Yo supe que el Señor me estaba llamando para servirle para por el resto de mi vida. No supe adonde. No supe en qué manera. Pero yo supe que Dios me estaba llamando para algo especial. Entonces, en esa noche yo entregué mi vida a Dios para servirle el resto de mi vida.
- Luego, cuando tenía 20 años, mis padres me dijeron que debía ir al colegio para prepararme al servicio del Señor. Entonces, yo decidí a ir a Northland Baptist Bible College y estudiar y prepararme para el ministerio con los jóvenes. Como estaba creciendo, el Señor empezó a darme una carga y un amor por los jóvenes. Pero voy a decirles más sobre eso en unos minutos. En ese tiempo el Señor me guío a una iglesia en Illinois, se llama Cornerstone Baptist Church o Iglesia Bautista Piedra angular. Para toda mi vida, yo estaba viajando con mi familia en un ministerio para iglesias. Pues, después de mi segundo año de universidad, mi familia viajó a Piedra Angular y yo andaba con ellos. E inmediatamente nosotros amamos a esa iglesia. Luego, un año después, mi familia viajó allí también a la misma fecha; entonces yo estaba con ellos otra vez. Y ese verano, yo tenia que trabajar para una iglesia como parte de mis requisitos para la universidad. Así que el Señor me permitió a trabajar a Piedra Angular.
- Entonces, ese año, en Diciembre del 2004, el Señor llamó al pastor de jóvenes de la Iglesia Piedra Angular y dejar la iglesia e ir al campo misionero. El les dijo que se iría en Mayo del 2005, el mismo mes que yo terminaría mis estudios en la universidad. Entonces los pastores de la Iglesia Piedra Angular me llamaron y me invitaron para volver ahora como el nuevo pastor de jóvenes. Para que ustedes sepan, estoy contando los detalles de todo de esto muy específicamente porque quiero que ustedes vean como el Señor es muy claro cuando nos guía y muestra su voluntad. Si estas caminando en obediencia con El Señor, no tienes que preguntarte, “¿Estoy en la voluntad de Dios ahora mismo?” porque tu estas!. Si tu eres un hijo de Dios, tu vas a saber cuando no estás en el voluntad de Dios. Porque Dios no castiga los hijos del diablo, pero el castiga a sus propios hijos.
- Regresemos a mi historia. en ese tiempo, yo no sabía lo que Dios haría conmigo, solo sabía que él me quería para servirle el resto de mi vida. En la universidad, conocí muchos que sabían exactamente lo que el Señor quería para ellos. Uno de mis amigos me dijo, “El Señor me llamo a Brasil para empezar nuevas iglesias.” otro me dijo, “El Señor me quiere como pastor aquí en los Estados Unidos.” Otra hermana me dijo, “El Señor me quiere como maestra de niños.” Pero yo nunca supe así como ellos. Entonces, cuando los pastores de Piedra Angular me llamaron, yo entendí que Dios me estaba abriendo una puerta. Así que, acepte.
- Entonces, yo trabajé allí por dos años hasta el verano del año pasado. Luego, el Señor empezó a guiarme en una dirección diferente. Y esa fue muy difícil para mí. Porque en ese momento, yo no sabia donde El Señor me quería o donde quería que fuera. Pero cuando yo hablé con los otros pastores, ellos estaban de acuerdo conmigo . Así que, yo empecé a considerar otros ministerios. Yo hablé con ministerios de música en Missouri, ministerios para jóvenes en la ciudad de Nueva York, y campamentos Cristianos, y yo pensé viajar con mis padres de nuevo en su ministerio de renacimiento. Y saben, fue muy difícil decirles todo de esto a mis jóvenes en Illinois. Fue muy difícil algunos de ellos. Me preguntaron, “¿Pero porque, Pastor Jon? ¿Porque quieres dejarnos? ¿A dónde vas? No puedes irte; tú eres mi pastor favorito,” y cosas así. Entonces, el ultimo mensaje que yo prediqué a ellos fue de Abram en el libro de Genesis capitulo 12. Búscalo, por favor, si tienes tu Biblia. “Pero Jehová había dicho a Abram: ‘Vete de tu tierra y de tu parentela, y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que te mostraré.” En este pasaje, Dios dice a Abram que deje a su familia, su tierra, y todo lo que tiene en su vida, para ir a “una tierra que te mostraré.” Dios no le dijo a donde. Dios no le dijo porque. lo mismo que en mi vida. Pero Abram confió en Dios, así que, mira el versículo 4, “Y se fue Abram.” Abram siguió a Dios. Si estudias este pasaje y la geografía de esa tierra, vas a aprender que Abram viajó más que 680 kilómetros antes de que Dios le hablara otra vez. Esa es la fe. Esa es la confianza. Esa es la obediencia. Cuando Dios nos dice, “Vete de aquí,” tenemos que ir.
- Finalmente, yo vine aquí a México, el año pasado en Junio. ¿Cuántos recuerdan eso? bueno, cuando yo estaba aquí, Dios estaba conmigo. Cada día de muchas maneras, el Señor me estaba hablando. Yo vi la necesidad que tiene la gente de México de Jesucristo. Yo vi las oportunidades para servir al Señor aquí. fue a ese tiempo que yo empecé a pensar que este era el lugar donde el Señor me quería . Cuando yo regresé a los Estados Unidos, yo hablé con mis padres, hablé con mis pastores, y
- hablé con el Hermano Randy. Y todas las personas me dijeron, “Si piensas tu que el Señor te quiere que regreses a México, hazlo.” Así que, aquí estoy!. Estoy aquí por tres meses para buscar la voluntad de Dios, y para aprender y ver si El me quiere mover aquí permanente. Estoy orando que cuando vuelva a Chicago, voy a saber si este es el lugar donde el Señor me quiere o si es otro lugar. Ese es mi testimonio.
- Antes de terminar, les quiero compartir algo de mi corazón. Mi corazón es para los jóvenes, para ustedes. Yo creo que ustedes están en los años mas importantes de sus vidas. Las decisiones que están haciendo ahora mismo van a cambiar el resto de sus vidas. Por ejemplo, están escogiendo lo que quieren hacer con sus vidas. Están escogiendo con quien se quieren casar. Están escogiendo donde quieren vivir. Y yo quiero ayudarles a hacer sus decisiones bíblicamente. Yo quiero que ustedes consideren no solamente lo que tú quieres hacer, si no primero lo que Dios quiere hacer con tu vida. Y he compartido mi testimonio a ustedes para que ustedes puedan ver que Dios quiere usar tu vida también, que no soy especial o diferente. Dios me está guiando y va a usar mi vida solamente porque yo la entregué a él. Y si tu entregarás tu vida a El también, él va a usarte en una manera muy poderosa. Piensa en esto y ya terminamos: Hay muchas cosas buenas que puedes hacer con tu vida. Pero, ¿cuál es la mejor? Escuchen estos versículos: “Todo esto proviene de Dios, quién nos reconcilió consigo mismo por Cristo, y nos dio el ministerio de la reconciliación; Que Dios estaba en Cristo reconciliando consigo al mundo, no tomándoles en cuento a los hombres sus pecados, y nos encargó a nosotros la palabra de reconciliación. Así que, somos embajadores en nombre de Cristo, como si Dios rogase por medio de nosotros; os rogamos en nombre de Cristo: Reconciliaos con Dios. Al que no conoció pecado, por nosotros lo hizo pecado, para que nosotros fuésemos hechos justicia de Dios en él.”
- Podemos hablar de esto otro día, ok? Vamos orar…

Shortest Post Ever

2008-04-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

We're going out to the ranch for lunch with the group from the USA. Everything went great today in youth Sunday School. I got to share my testimony and preach all in Spanish and I think they all understood me. We had 16 teens and I've got all of their names and ages. As soon as I can get my computer online again, I'll have pictures and the list of their names so all of you can pray for them. I love you all and miss you all!

A Stranger In A Familiar Land

2008-03-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Opportunities multiply. This post goes out as a prayer update. Today Brother Randy put me in charge of the youth ministry here at Faith Baptist. They have been without a youth pastor for several months and still many of the youth are attending faithfully. What an opportunity; what a challenge! As if it’s not enough responsibility to lead a youth group in your native country, how much more a stranger in a foreign country. How do you lead a young person to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ when you’re still trying to learn their language?

And yet, God is faithful. Once again, I see God’s power in the fact that He can use you for His purpose, while still training you to do His will. Given the language barrier I will have with the youth, I am reminded, this time in a much deeper way, of the importance of leading by example and showing the teenagers how a Christian should live. A sobering thought this is to me. When these teens look at this young, new American visitor, will they see a living, breathing Jesus Christ?

Now my mind races with ideas, fears, questions, and doubts. But I must surrender them all to my Lord and venture out into this new, yet familiar territory He has placed me in. Pray for me. Pray for the teens. Pray for the church.

Brother Randy and I are seeking a national, someone here in this church, who would be willing to take on the responsibility of leading this group of young people. He has asked me to put together some materials for training a youth pastor/leader and then he will be asking some men in the church to attend a training meeting I will teach. I am also working towards teaching a youth Sunday School class on Sunday mornings. I pray that they’ll be able to understand through my Spanglish and learn to have a real, living relationship with Jesus.

Pray to this end:
1. That I will be a help to the youth ministry here at Faith Baptist
2. That I will be a living example of Jesus to the teens
3. That God will raise up a youth pastor here at the church
4. That God will give me the wisdom to teach through the language barrier
5. That when I leave in June, the youth ministry will be able to carry on without me.

My Sermon

2008-03-23T19:50:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Thanks for all the prayers concerning my sermon tonight. Everything ended up going really well. At first it looked like there would be problems because I couldn't print up my notes on our printer here at home and didn't have time to take it somewhere to print it up. My computer was almost out of battery power and I couldn't put my notes on my Pocket PC. But God was in control and everything worked out as I took my computer to the church, plugged it in, and preached off of my notes straight from my computer :o) So thank you al very much and now I'll be starting on my all-Spanish sermon. I've got over two months to finish that one though. Praise the Lord for all of His mercies!

The Power of Prayer
Sermon – March 23, 2008

Introduction: Buenas tardes. Bienvenidos a la casa de Dios esta tarde. ¿Es un placer a estar aqui, no? Amén. En esta tarde, yo tengo un mensaje por todos de nosotros, pero ya perdóneme. Yo no estoy acustombrado a predicar sin preocupación de la tiempo. Cuando yo fui en universidad de la Biblia, nuestro profesor nos enseñó a predicar entre 20 y 30 minutos. Por que en los Estados Unidos, si predico mas largo que 30 minutos, todo la gente empiezan a mirar a la reloj, y quieren a salir, etc. Pero he visto aquí que alguien se puede predicar por un hora o mas. Y eso me gusta, pero no se si yo puedo predicar asi. ¿Me entienden? Ahora mismo estoy preparando un mensaje que quiero predicar completamente en Español – solamente a la gloria de Dios, verdad? – pero a Hermano Jose Luis yo dije que necesito mucho tiempo para prepararlo. Asi que, por hoy, si me permiten, voy a predicar en Ingles y Hermano Diego va a ayudarme, ok?

Today I would like us to study together on the topic of prayer. I don’t want to say that I am going to preach to you about prayer, because this message is really the result of something that God has been teaching me personally. I believe that a study of prayer is something that we approach differently than other studies. What I mean is that we already know much of what the Bible teaches on prayer, but our need is to do it. We do not need more knowledge about prayer; we need more time on our knees in prayer. However, every time that I have studied the Bible’s basic teachings on prayer, I find myself realizing more the importance of prayer, and spending more time in prayer. What we will be doing tonight is just reading through and thinking about the many aspects of prayer. The title of our study tonight is the power of prayer. We desperately need to understand the power of prayer. Therefore, in our study this evening, I want us to look at three aspects of prayer – the principle of prayer, the practice of prayer, and the priority of prayer. So before we begin, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His wisdom as we seek to know His Word.

I. The Principle of Prayer
What is prayer in its most basic sense? Why should we believe that God would give us something we asked for? Let’s see what the Bible says about prayer…

A. Lk.11:5-8,9-13; Matt.7:7-11
Explanation: In this passage we see two illustrations of prayer given to us by Jesus Himself. The first is that of a friend. Jesus says, “How many of you who had a friend in need would leave him to himself and not give him what he asked?” The answer is obvious – None of us would. The next illustration is even more powerful. It is so powerful, in fact, that it is repeated in another passage of Scripture: Matthew 7. Now, just as a side note, whenever the Bible repeats something, that means that God really wants us to pay attention to that point. For example, whenever Jesus wanted to introduce a truth about God or His kingdom, He would begin by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” And in fact in all of the Bible, there is only one thing that is ever repeated three times, and that is they saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts”. So when God repeats this passage in another of the gospels, It is so that we will pay special attention to it. This is the illustration of a parent to a child.
Illustration: Now tell me this, please. How many of you have children – raise your hand. How much do you enjoy giving good things to your children? It doesn’t matter to you if it is a big thing of a little thing, right? You enjoy to give gifts that make your children happy. This passage says, “Pues si vosotros, siendo malos, sabéis dar buenas dádivas á vuestros hijos, ¿cuánto más vuestro Padre celestial…?”

B. Ps.2:7-8

Explanation: Look now at Psalm 2, verses 7 and 8. How powerful is prayer? Read passage. Here God says that He will give up to the farthest parts of the earth. And don’t miss why. Verse 7 says, “Thou art my son.” God, our Heavenly Father, loves to give good gifts to us, if we only ask them of Him.

C. Jms.4:2-3
Explanation: But I want us also to notice another important passage of Scripture. Look at what God tells us in James 4. Verse 2 tells us that we have not because we ask not. But notice also verse 3. Sometimes we do not receive what we ask for because we are asking for the wrong thing, or for the wrong reason.
Illustration: Let’s think once again of the illustration of a parent to a child. I’m sure you parents have had times where you couldn’t give your children what they asked for. For example, maybe your 7 year-old son would like to have a gun or maybe a pocketknife. In that case, you as a parent probably would not give your son what he wanted. Why? Because your son sees something he would like to have and he thinks it would be fun to have it; but you know better than he does and you know that it would be dangerous for him to have it. So it is with our Heavenly Father. He loves to give us things we ask for. But ultimately, He knows what is best. And we’ll talk about this a bit more at the end of our study today.

D. Jn.14:13-14
Explanation: Look now at John 14, verses 13-14. Jesus tells us here, “Y todo lo que pidiereis al Padre en mi nombre, esto haré, para que el Padre sea glorificado en el Hijo.” In his life on earth, Jesus was always trying to bring glory to His Father. And so He does when He answers our prayers.

E. I Jn. 3:22
Explanation: Look also at I Jn.3:22. Here Jesus gives us another condition for praying effectively. He says again that He will answer our prayers, look, when we are doing what is pleasing to Him.
Illustration: Once again, we return to the illustration of parents. As much as you like to give gifts to your children, you’re not going to reward them when they are in disobedience to you, right? It is like when you are eating dinner and your child wants candy. What do you say to him? “You can’t have any candy until you have cleaned your plate, like I told you to.” Right? Again, we will talk about this a bit more at the end of our study.

F. Jn.15:7,16
Explanation: Now, to finish up the principle of prayer, I want to show you two very encouraging things. The first is in John 15:7,16. When you receive an answer to your prayers, that is evidence that you are abiding in Christ, just as Christ was abiding in the Father. Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Without me you cannot bear fruit.”

G. I Jn.5:14-15
Explanation: The second encouragement is in I John chapter 5. Read passage. When you receive an answer to prayers, it is an evidence that you are a child of God. The book of First John was written entirely for this purpose – that you may know that you have eternal life. If you ever go through a time in your life when you begin to doubt that you are truly a Christian, read and pray through the book of First John. You will find there 15 evidences of a child of God.

Transition: So we have seen in these passages the basic principle of prayer. We must ask in order to receive. God wants to answer our prayers because we are His children. And we must be in obedience to Him in order to receive answered prayers. Once again, remember that there is great power in prayer! Let’s look now at the practice of prayer.

II. The Practice of Prayer
How exactly do we pray effectively? This is a question that many Christians ask, and it is a very good question. In fact, Jesus’ own followers asked Him the same question. Let’s look at several passages that teach us specifically HOW to pray.

A. Mat.6:5-8
Explanation/Application: This is probably the most well-known of all passages on prayer, because it it followed by what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”. But we need to notice some very important things here. First of all, is the element of privacy. Jesus says, “When you pray, go into your closet.” The idea he is trying to communicate is that our prayers are only between God and ourselves. Now Jesus said this to His disciples because they were used to hearing and seeing the Pharisees pray. Now as you know, Jesus often had problems with the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of that day, but all of their religion was external. They did not love God, they loved themselves. They did not seek God’s glory, they sought their own. Jesus called them cleaned-up tombs. He said they looked good on the outside, but they were dead inside. The Pharisees, when they prayed, would stand on the steps of the temple and pray loudly, in long, extended prayers of meaningless words, and it was all just for show. It was so that others would see and think that they were good, holy men. Jesus said, “Do not pray like them”. He said, “Pray in secret, because your Father sees in secret, and He will reward you openly. Now think about it. When do you pray? Do you only pray in church, when the pastor asks you to pray? Or are you on your knees every day, before your Father in heaven, asking for His guidance and direction for the day? If not, then your prayer life is just like that of the Pharisees. Jesus reminds His disciples, “Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him. Let’s look quickly at another passage to prove that.

1. Jn.16:17-29 (19,23,24) – The disciples wanted to ask Jesus something, but He already knew it; again, He says ask the Father in My name and He will give it to you; so far you have not asked in my name; ask so your joy may be full – like a parent.
Explanation: See here, in verse 19, they were confused about what Jesus said and they wanted to ask, but were afraid to. Jesus answers their question before they ask. Then notice again in verses 23 and 24, that they had not asked for anything in Jesus’ name. And again, like a parent, Jesus says that He will answer so that their joy might be full.

B. Lk.18:10-14
Explanation: Next let’s look at Luke chapter 18. Jesus gives us an example here of the attitude with which we must pray. The Pharisee in this passage came to God with pride and self-righteousness. And the sinner came to God in humility. What did Jesus say about these two men and their prayers? “Os digo que éste descendió á su casa justificado antes que el otro; porque cualquiera que se ensalza, será humillado; y el que se humilla, será ensalzado.”

C. Lk.18:1; I Ths.5:16
Explanation: Notice also two other passages. Both of these passages tell us the same thing. That we ought to pray at all times. Now, does that mean that we walk around all day with our head bowed and eyes closed, talking aloud to God, and we tell our friends, “Don’t talk to me; I’m praying.” Of course not. These passages teach us to live our lives in an attitude of prayer. I believe that is to live our lives with the recognition of God’s presence. It means that we go to Him all throughout the day as if He were there walking with us. “God, what should I do with my day that you have given me? Father, how should I answer the questions that this person is asking me about you? Lord Jesus, give me the courage to go and tell this person about You.” This is what it means to pray without ceasing.

D. Mat. 21:21-22
Explanation: This next passage is the area of prayer that god has been teaching in my life recently. Read passage. When you pray, do you really believe that God will answer? Our next passage will explain this more. But look once again, Jesus says whatever you ask in prayer, believing, YOU WILL RECEIVE!
>>> How many times does the Bible have to tell us before we believe it?

E. Jms.1:5-8
Explanation: Let’s read together about what it means to pray in faith. Read passage. Pray in faith, nothing wavering. He who wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind. That man who wavers in his faith will not receive anything from God.
Illustration: Allow me, if you will, to share with you how I have seen this principle work in my own life. God has been teaching me in my life, that, at times, I treat God more like a heavenly Santa Claus than like my Father. I go to him in prayer like a little kid asking for a Christmas present. “Dear God, I need this, and this, and this, oh and maybe some of that, too…” God has shown me that I often throw up prayers just hoping that maybe He will answer them. When instead I need to cry out to Him like a soldier on the battlefield, who is trapped and surrounded by enemies, and is calling in to his headquarters begging for support. And let me tell you, when you pray like this, God WILL answer you! And it’s kind of hard to explain. Basically, when you pray, you need to be expecting God to answer. Anticipate what it will be like when God answers. Go ahead and thank God for how He is going to answer. I first saw this happen when I was 18 years old. God had been teaching me this same thing about prayer. I wanted to see God answer something that only I was praying for, that I was expecting him to answer, and that nobody else even knew about.
At that time, I was traveling around the United States with a team of young people my age. Well one night, a girl from my team, whose name was Connie, told me some things about her father, who was in the church service that night. To put it shortly, her dad would often discipline her in anger while she was growing up. She had told me how much that hurt her and how she did not have a good relationship with him because of it. She then told me that we would be traveling to her home state of Alabama 7 months later and would see her parents again. So God burdened my heart to pray for her father. And I wanted to pray a very specific prayer. On the first Saturday of all of our meetings, we would lead a seminar for parents on how to raise their children. So this was my request. I prayed that when we went to Alabama 7 months later, that Connie’s dad would come, that he would stay for that seminar on Saturday, and that afterwards he would seek Connie’s forgiveness for his sin against her. So I began to pray for that every day. I tried to think what it would be like when God answered. I would write something on my hand to remind me that I had prayed for her that day. So for 7 months I asked God over and over, “God please answer this prayer!” And just as God promised, He answered my prayer. Connie’s dad came to those services, he stayed for the seminar that Saturday, and afterwards, he asked Connie to forgive him for what He had done. As if that was enough, Connie also told me that she could already see him changing his attitude towards his family and her two younger brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters, there is incredible power in prayer!!! That idea goes along with our next passage.

F. Eph.3:20
Explanation: Ephesians 3: 20 goes beyond our own prayers. God not only wants to answer our prayers, He wants to do more than we could even think to ask Him for.

Transition: So now we’ve seen the principle of prayer and these passages teach us about the practice of prayer. Finally today, let’s look at the priority of prayer.

III. The Priority of Prayer
Let me ask you a personal question. This is not something you’ll answer out loud, just think to yourself about it. When do you pray? Whenever I ask myself that question, I am convicted by the Holy Spirit, because I know that I do not pray as often as I should. If you are like me, you find yourself going to God when you are in trouble or when you have a need. Now, is there anything wrong with this? Not at all. Like a parent, God wants us to come to Him when we are in trouble or when we have a need. Look at these passages:

A. When do you pray?
a. Trouble – Ps.3:7-8 – Call to God in trouble, but this should not be the only time. David called out to God when He was in trouble.
b. Need – Zec.10:1 – Ask God in times of need and He will answer. God promises to answer us in times of need. But I believe the best way to improve our prayer life is to observe quickly the life of Christ and to understand the priority of prayer.

B. When did Jesus pray?
a. Matt.14:23 – After feeding the 5,000; he was alone
If we look at the context of this passage, Jesus went off to pray after feeding the 5,000, one of His most well-known miracles. And notice also that He was alone. Remember what Jesus told His disciples? Pray in secret. He spent time in prayer after busy times of successful ministry.
b. Matt.26:36 – Before going to the Cross
Notice also that Jesus spent much time in prayer before going to the Cross, the greatest work of His life. He spent time in prayer before big events in His life.
c. Lk.6:12 – After healing a man, before casting out demons; in prayer all night
Jesus also spent time in prayer after being engaged in spiritual warfare. He spent long, extended times in prayer. He prayed all night.
d. Lk.9:28 – Before His transfiguration; with Peter, James, and John
Jesus also prayed with those closest to Him. He prayed before the Father revealed Him in His glory to His disciples.
e. Lk.11:1 – After long periods of teaching; alone, disciples asked how to pray
And finally, he prayed after long periods of teaching and public ministry. And it was after this time that His disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” You see, when we look at the priority of prayer in the life of our Lord, our perfect example, we see how greatly short we fall of a true commitment to prayer. So before we close with prayer, I want to look at one more passage and answer the question:

C. What do I do when my prayer is not answered?
a. Remember that “no” is also an answer. God knows what is best and He is allowed to answer “no.” Remember that, like a parent, God will give us what we ask, unless He knows that there is something different that we need instead.
b. Examine your own life for sin/disobedience. Now I want to be careful here that we don’t leave here thinking that every time God doesn’t answer our prayers just the way we want, that there must be something wrong with us. That was what Job’s friends tried to tell him, remember? In this step, simply ask God if He couldn’t answer your prayer because you were in disobedience in some area. You don’t need to go on a frantic search of your own life for sin – If it is there, God will show you. If not, then take step three:
c. Rest is God’s sovereignty; he works all for His glory and our good – Rom.8:28. We see from this passage one of the most comforting things in all of the Scriptures. God is always working everything out for our good and for His glory. Now does that mean that everything that will happen in our lives is good? No not at all. Just like Job, God sometimes allows evil things into our lives, but He promises that He is in control and will work those things out for our good in the end.
Conclusion: Once more, brothers and sisters, there is incredible power in prayer. I believe that if we really believe that fact, we would spend much more time in prayer than we do now. I know that this is certainly a need in my life and I would suspect that we all need a greater priority on our prayer life. As I said at the beginning of this study tonight, we do not need to know more about prayer; we need to spend more time in prayer. So it would be sad if we closed this night without spending time in prayer. I know that this is a need in my life, and so I am going to kneel down in front here and ask God to give me a greater commitment to prayer. If you believe that this is a need in your life as well, you are welcome to join me down here in prayer, and after our time of prayer, I’d like Brother Jose Luis to come up and close our service in prayer. Let’s pray together…

Party at the Ranch

2008-03-21T19:01:00.001-07:00

Today, Brother Adrian and I drove out to Rancho La Fe at about 10:00 AM with Brother Jose, his wife Mary, Diego, Jose, and Sergio - another reminder of how much Spanish I need to learn! We met up with Wisho and his wife and 6 of us played basketball while the ladies were busy preparing lunch, which consisted of spaghetti, shrimp soup, rice/corn mix, salsa -of course - and another kind of soup (I don't even know what it is).

I got a lot of pictures and videos today, so those of you with a Facebook will get to see a lot of our day. Some of the activities included, playing basketball, playing volleyball, preparing lunch, gathering firewood, filming a re-enactment of 300, Brother Adrian doing his best WWE impression and leaping onto a table, smashing it to pieces, helping the ranchers gather a sick cow for dinner (for the sake of you ladies, I may leave that out of the video :o), playing around with the kids and our new dog - Dollar, trying to communicate with each other, and all kinds of fun stuff.

Driving in town is an interesting experience as well. For one thing, there's really not a speed limit, just random speed bumps with no markings whatsoever. So basically, when I'm driving and I hear Brother Jose say, "Ay, ay, ay!", or hear "Bajale, Gringo!" from the back, I know to slow down because there is probably a speed bump, or a big pothole, or a hidden stop sign coming up. But they still trust me enough apparently to let the gringo drive :o) This is a picture of me and my new friend, Jacelyn.

Anyway, there is a lot more I could write, but I need to go finish preparing my sermon for Sunday night. I've done some work on pictures and videos, but I'll have to wait until next week to post them, when I'm finished with Sunday's sermon. Thank you for all the prayers and keep them coming. Brother Randy and Miss Gwen will be getting in on Monday night, so it will be great to see them again. God bless you all!

Living in Jimenez

2008-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Opportunities abound here in town!

I am now living here in Jiminez with 3 other single guys - Brian, Adriel, and Adrian. Brian Alexander is the guy I've mentioned before who has moved down here and is opening a restaurant on our back porch. Adriel is a friend of Brian's that he met in El Paso who has moved down here to live with us. Adrian is a 22-year old guy who has grown up here in Jimenez, was saved through the ministry of Iglesia Bautista La Fe, serves in the preaching and Sunday School ministry, and was just ordained as a minister this past December. I can't even tell you what a blessing he is!

The house where we are living is about 5 streets down from the church, 5 streets from the "centro comercial" or the main shopping plaza, and within walking distance of anywhere in town. And it is because of this location that opportunities abound. We just drove down to the carniceria to get some meat and were handing out tracts along the way. It's so great. And later on today, we're going out just to hand out tracts and talk to people about the gospel.

The people in the church are just tremendous! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, just like being at Cornerstone. It's just another reminider of the way that we are all a part of the family of God even though we don't speak the same language. You can just sense it. We are all family!

I first met Brother Adrian on Sunday morning, when he came up to me and said, "So you are the famous Brother Jonathan? Yes, you are famous, brother. All the people here talking about you, and some of them they don't even know you yet. You got a gift!" He can speak English well enough to be our interpreter when we need it. And he is just so passionate about reaching people. He told me he wants to reach inner-city youth "with the light, because they are all looking for it, but they don't know that it is in Jesus." He is really becoming my teammate here, my true brother, my fellow slave of Christ.

Well, I'm going down to the internet cafe to try and get these videos uploaded. Keep praying everyone. God is working, and He wants to do much more!

I´m Here

2008-03-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
This will just ba a quick post, but I wanted to tell everyone that I´m all settled here in Jimenez and everything´s good. I will be preaching this next Sunday evening, so I could use all your prayers for that! It will be mostly in English, with an interpreter, but I´m also working on one for later that I´ll be preaching all in Spanish.

Right now I´m staying at the ranch, but this week I may be moving in to town to live with Brian Alexander who will be moving down here on Tuesday. You may remember him from my newsletter. He is the guy who was cooking for us here last summer and is also considering moving here to work with the Ashcrafts. He has a house in town and that would put us in a very strategic place to learn the language and explore the town, witnessing to people. Since it´s during the school year, all of the boys from the ranch are living in town with different ladies in the church. The cost of fuel to drive 14 km to the ranch every day makes it better for them to live in town.

The Ashcrafts will be getting into town the Tuesday after this one. He will be preaching at a church in El Paso for Easter Sunday and then driving back here. The people here are great and the food is all hot. No it´s ALL hot. Picante y caliente; that´s spicy hot and temperature hot! My sinuses get cleared every meal!

For those of you on Facebook, I´ve got the next episode of my Video Journal finished and ready to publish, but this computer won´t detect my external hard drive, so I´ll probably burn them to a CD and post it later.

So on Saturday when I got into Jimenez, we went to the house of a lady in the church where they were having a ladies´get-together or Bible study. So I spent about 20 minutes with them and, of course, finding out that I was single, they all decided that I needed to marry a Mexican girl and are proceeding to find her for me in the next three months. We´ll see how that goes :o)

Oops! Gotta go! Love you all and keep me in your prayers!

P.S. It´s really hard to type on this international keyboard! Everything is in a different spot and in Spanish.

A Beautiful Goodbye and a Bit of Sadness

2008-03-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight, was the most bitter of bittersweet times I've had in my life. To leave on the next stage of God's will for my life could not be more exciting. But to leave behind my precious teens with whom I've been able to grow and serve and teach for the past 3 years could not be more bitter.

The night was first an opportunity to worship together again like old times. Dan, Dan, and Ashley... you rock! Keep this band going while I'm gone, ok? Ashley, keep up those solos! You're amazing! Move aside, Darlene Zschech... Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, and Casting Crowns provided our songs for worship and we thoroughly enjoyed singing to the Lord together.

After our worship time, Donnie Rice asked me to share briefly with the youth group my plans regarding Mexico and the mission field. Then the group gathered around me and Jay Lennington led in prayer for my trip and my future. What a wonderful group of people I have supporting me here from home!

As we finished my final Wednesday night here for the next three months, I was then taken out to dinner at Chili's by 14 of my teens for one last time of random fun, laughing, talking, spilling drinks (nice one Dan, on my white jeans!) and... snorting laughter courtesy of Michelle Feicke. Buying my dinner was a small gesture, but it meant so much to me, coming from those who mean the most to me here.

So tonight was sweet, bitter, and very encouraging to me. Thank you, teens! I love you all so much! You mean the world to me. Live for God and follow His plans for you! See you all in June...

Schedule for my last week in Illinois

2008-03-11T16:46:00.001-07:00

Today - March 11th - Cleaning Day: This is my day to finish the last of my laundry, so it will be ready to pack, sweep the living room, mop the kitchen, clean the bathroom, finish the dishes, and get everything ready for me to be gone.

Wednesday, March 12th - Packing Day: This is my day to decide how to pack for 3 months into two suitcases and a carry-on, including suits for Sunday and clothes for weekdays. It is also the day for deciding what of my many electronic devices I'll need to minister in Mexico and keep people at home updated.

Thursday, March 13th - Training Day: This is the day I am most excited about. This is my day to practice what I will be doing in Mexico here in Illinois. I am going somewhere... not sure where yet... to find people who need Jesus. This is the day where I feel uncomfortable and probably rejected. This is my day to share the gospel one-on-one with complete strangers. Hey, if I can't do it with people who speak my language, what chance is there that I'll do it with people who don't?

Friday - March 14th - Praying/Preparing Day: This is the day where I prepare my heart to be taught and used in whatever way God desires. This day will consist of only things I will be able to do while I am in Mexico. No TV, games, or friends. Just me, my God, my Bible, my Spanish lessons, and my family.

Saturday, March 15th - D-Day!!!