In His Service

A handbook containing information on being in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ. The good, the bad and the ugly.

By Dennis R. Smith

 

                           ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Information contained in this handbook is what I learned from:

·         My lifelong process of making mistakes and sometimes learning from them

·         The Upper Room

·         Other daily devotionals

·         The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Stearns

·         Bible commentaries

·         Mentors and friends

·         Attending different Protestant and non-denominational churches

·         Being involved with people of different cultures

 

                                    Contents

     Chapter 1        The Four ITs.................................................................................... 4

      Chapter 2        Should You Trust What Is Written in this Handbook?................... 9

      Chapter 3        Server, Servant or Missionary........................................................ 12

      Chapter 4        Your Journey—Are You Ready & Equipped?.............................. 22

      Chapter 5        Prayer............................................................................................. 27

      Chapter 6        Remember Who You Are Serving: GOD...................................... 42

      Chapter 7        Satan.............................................................................................. 51

      Chapter 8        Cultural Knowledge...................................................................... 61

      Chapter 9        The Experiences that Mold Us...................................................... 66

      Chapter 10      Other Religious Influences & Cultural Dynamics......................... 75

      Chapter 11      Attitude—How’s Yours?.............................................................. 86

      Chapter 12      Pride……………………………………………………95

      Chapter 13      Our Beginning in Mexico............................................................ 101     

     Chapter 14       Things with which You Will Struggle......................................... 106

      Chapter 15      The dark side of serving…………………..…………. 115

     Chapter 16   Get out and serve…………………………………….. 123 

           

                    Chapter 1 • The Four ITs

What are the four ITs and how do they relate to Scripture? Does this sound unusual? Yes! Could Jesus’ life and ministry be considered a little unusual? Yes. Could the men He picked to serve Him and spread the gospel be unusual? Yes. Could the way He did things be considered unusual (especially by the Jews)? Yes. But when you look at the four It’s and study them, they are not unusual in relation to Scripture. They are simple and productive. And if we live them every day the way we are called to, we could (by Jesus working through us) change the world.

      What are the four ITs and how do they relate to God’s Word?

      When it comes to Scripture, we must

1.      READ IT (the Bible)

2.      BELIEVE IT (Have Faith)

3.      LIVE IT (Strive to Live Like Jesus)

4.      SHARE IT (with Others)

Number 1: READ IT (the Bible)

First we have to read it. No matter how many messages we hear in church, on the radio or TV and at conferences we attend, they do not replace our obligation to READ God’s Word. In ancient times when pen and paper were not readily available, people relied on storytelling, memorization and descriptions from people that were actually there and saw the miracles and witnessed His accounts. As time passed, God’s teachings were put to paper and the manuscripts were used in relaying His Word. We changed from an oral-based culture of Scripture to a culture that had His Word to read and study. His Word in written form made it easier to spread God’s message to other peoples in their own languages.

      In the Old Testament, Psalm 119:7 tells us, “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.”

And in the New Testament, Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “²⁸Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

      In both of these Scriptures (and many more) we are told we should learn God’s ways. Especially today, learning His Word by reading it is very important.

Number 2: BELIEVE IT (Have Faith)

After we read His Word we have two choices. One, we can decide not to believe it, or think it’s only a great story and that it has been the source of some fine big-screen pictures made by Hollywood. Or, two, we can choose to believe it (We must believe it in its entirety.) We don’t have the liberty to pick and choose what we want to follow or what pertains only to other people and not to us. If you say you are a Christ-follower, you have no option. You must believe what the Bible says. That is called faith. If we choose to believe and have faith we must remember to believe it in its entirety.

      Acts 20:21 states, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” And in Romans 10:8 we are told, “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.” To believe is to have faith and have it in your heart and on your lips.

Number 3: LIVE IT (Strive to Live Like Jesus)

If you have read God’s Word and studied it carefully, believe it, have accepted Jesus into your heart, and have faith, (now comes the harder part) you must live it. Jesus tells us this in so many Scriptures and in those Scriptures you will notice that He never states we must live it perfectly. We will have problems, sin and fall short. When we do, He steps in and gives us a safe haven. Forgiveness and grace are ours when we repent; it’s all about living His Word!

    

When you are living out Scripture, not only should you see a difference in your life, but others should see it also. I’m not talking about taking notes every day on how good you are doing or how many times you have been forgiving of others. I’m talking about trying to live a Godly life, messing up, asking people (and God) to forgive you, forgiving others, showing genuine compassion, and seeking His Word for council and discernment.

I’m talking about the day when it hits you, that “AHA!” moment, when you realize your life is different. Or when someone comes up to you with a smile and states that your actions show you must be a Christian. For me, living Scripture is when I live it unknowingly and unconsciously. It becomes nature!

      The book of John tells us we must live out our faith. In John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” And in Romans 1:5, “Through Him and for His name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” “Doing” and “obeying” . . . two action words that, to me, describe living God’s Word.

      And lastly, Romans 1:17 tells us in no uncertain terms that we will live by faith. “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

      OK, now you have read Scripture and you say you believe it. If you believe it you must live it. Because if you don’t live it, then you don’t really believe it. Now comes the fourth IT!

Number 4: SHARE IT! (with Others)

If you READ IT, BELIEVE IT and LIVE IT, then it is only natural that you would want to SHARE IT. In Matthew 28:19-20, a passage referred to as “the Great Commission,” Jesus said to His followers,

¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

      This most important verse contains the four ITs I have just described. If you are to go out and make disciples of all nations you must have read and believed God’s Word. And if you are going out to share His Word you are living it and thus  responding to the Great Commission. It can’t get any clearer than that. Read, believe, live and share God’s Word with others.

Now I don’t think each one of us is being told to drop everything and go to some distant land and share the Word of God. Some of us don’t have to go anywhere; we can stay home and share the Word of God with our family members, neighbors, co-workers and people we meet on the street. That may be your calling to the Great Commission.

      Others of us are called to step out a little farther and possibly go to some of those faraway places and share His Word in a more mission-type of environment. Some may be told to step out and plant churches. The point is to share His Word, no matter where or with whom you find. And do it in a manner that if asked, Jesus would say, as He did in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

      As believers, we are called not just to believe and have faith in God’s Word. We are also called to action. Do we say we love God and then show no love for some of our neighbors? Do we pass by the injured man on the side of the road and do nothing? Do we say we have God in our hearts and then only do the things He asks that align with what we should do?

      There are some excellent Scriptures that help us answer those questions. I could give you chapter and verse but I wqon’t at this time. It is exciting for me when I go searching through Scripture looking for answers, so I will ask you to try it. If you are like me, you may discover your way of thinking about a Scripture was incorrect. You will have to admit you were wrong and get back on track with what that Scripture really means. And that is just one of the many reasons we should continually read and study God’s Word.

Read or reread James again and see where he tells us not only to believe but also to do (actions) what Christ tells us we should do. Luke says that a tree is recognized by its fruit or lack of it. And Matthew describes some of the ways we can be active in working for the Lord. Then 1 John tells us that people who say they know the Lord and do not do what He requests are liars!

      Take a few minutes once in a while and examine your life compared to these questions to see how you are doing.

·         Do I read and pay attention to what I am learning?

·         Do I really believe it?

·         Am I living out His Word and, if not, what is holding me back?

·         And do I share His Word?

      When you figure out the answers, mention them to the Holy Spirit and ask for directions and ways to improve. He will be your biggest advocate.

Chapter 2 • Should You Trust What Is Written in this Handbook ?

The words and information I am writing here are a conglomeration of things I have learned. I don’t know if I have more than one or two original ideas to add to what has been stated before in all the books and teaching materials that have been written. What I am presenting is the repeated story that God uses everyday, normal, sinful but repentant people to serve Him. The knowledge I have comes from the Lord and His teachings, from the excellent articles I have read in different devotionals, the many blessed and talented ministers I have listened to and learned from, and the many, many mistakes I have made that the Lord has pulled me through.

      I have put this information together for two reasons. First, it’s for myself; it will help keep me on track with who I am and what am I doing. I am a servant and God’s hands and feet. Second and just maybe, it will help someone with his or her discernment as they struggle with their place in God’s big picture.

      As I was thinking about what to say in this book, a thought came to me. You may be wondering, “Who is this person giving us all this information and advice on serving the Lord?” If you are not asking that question, you should be. As a matter of fact, you should be questioning any person that is quoting Scripture, giving advice on Scripture or sharing the teachings of God. You are called to verify what is said and to make sure it is in line with what the Bible states. If it isn’t, don’t believe it. Scripture has the last and final say, not man.

      In Acts 20:29-31 we read about Jesus telling His disciples He would not be among them much longer and to be cautious about what and who to believe.

²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

      If Jesus tells His disciples to be on guard, are we to do anything less?

Verify what you hear; there may be a teaspoonful of truth in an ocean of error.

      In 2 Peter, Peter warns the church that there are false teachers in the world and even in the church. We are to be on guard and keep watch for them. And as Christ-followers we need to be able to discern who the false teachers are. Be true to God’s Word and He will keep us from believing the lies.

      We see in 2 John that he also warns of false teachers and talks of truth and love. At this time, many people claimed to be Christ-followers and loyal to Him, but they were not very observant when it came to identifying false teachers. In verses 7 and 8 he reminds us to watch out for false teachers.

⁷Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

      Know who you are listening to and make sure they are accurate. The bottom line is to follow Scripture.

      So who is Dennis Smith and what qualifications do I have to write this book? Hopefully, this question will be answered as you read. Again, let me repeat that I am not saying anything new. I am just relating my life, how Jesus changed it and made it purposeful—not by me being driven—but by me being led by the Holy Spirit. I am offering Scripture that I studied and how I use Scripture to learn to serve others as I follow the teachings of Jesus. And the life lessons I have learned while serving people from a different culture.

      For the successes in my life I give all the credit to Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. For all the wrong things I have done I give credit to myself, my weaknesses, Satan who tempted me, and allowing the world view to separate me from the true meaning of life and loving the Lord as stated in Matthew 22:37-39.

³⁷Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

I have read books from writers out there that say they are Christ-followers and, at first glance, their books seem to be in line with the teachings of Scripture.

 However, when I look closely at what they are saying, listen to their personal views on Scripture, and then verify what they are saying with what the Bible says, too often their comments are not in line with Scripture. When this happens, I stop reading the book and follow Ephesians 5:7, “Therefore do not partner with them.”

      In Ephesians 4 and 5 we are told to live as children of light and to come out of the darkness in our misunderstanding that separates us from the life of God. How do we do that? We follow God’s teachings and principals. And to do that we must listen only to Him and those who are His representatives. We have to be on guard and watch out for false teachings, as we are instructed in Ephesians 5:6-7

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷Therefore do not be partners with them.

      We are being told bluntly: Do not follow (to me this includes not to read) false teachers. Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us:

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

      Part of the Lord’s will is to follow His teachings—no one else’s!

      I am amazed at the number of books that misquote the Bible and are read and promoted by strong Christ-followers. It’s like they have scales over their eyes and can’t see or hear how the truth of Scripture is being manipulated by man. Don’t let this happen to you.

Don’t trust or follow anyone’s advice—including mine—unless it is backed up by Scripture.

Chapter 3 • Server, Servant or Missionary?

   Originally, when it comes to the role of a missionary, I thought a missionary went to some foreign country where the natives never heard of God and your mission was to save them by giving them the Word of God and baptizing them. How wrong I was! As I grew in my Christian walk I learned that areas of mission work and serving are as varied as there are cultures and needs of God’s people. In missions and serving, you are lead by what God is calling you to do. It is by the strings being pulled on your heart as you watch the malnourished children from Africa on a TV commercial or see the elderly sitting on the roof of their homes in hurricane-ravaged Florida.

      You will know it when God calls you to missions or to go and serve. It will be His excitement stirring in your heart, not your own, telling you of a new adventure you are to embark upon (even if it is only walking next door). And if you are saying, “When I retire . . .” or “When I get the bills paid off . . .” or “When the kids are out of college . . . I want to do some type of mission work,” you’d better consider whether these are God’s words or your own.

      When going on missions or serving, it will be God you rely upon for the answers to your questions and not your trusted friends. Of course, friends can offer you advice and counsel, but it will be God that provides you with the ways and means to carry out His plan. It doesn’t come from your friends and it doesn’t come from your own strength.

      The Christian faith was meant to be directly spread by the people of God (the Great Commission), not to be force-fed to non-believers, but to be taught in a loving manner and demonstrated by the actions of Christ-followers. We must till the soil, plant the seed, water, and cultivate His garden. The Lord will then take care of the harvest; that is His job, not ours. As a Christ-follower, we must have an authentic and genuine commitment to Christ. If not, people can and will see the hypocrisy in our lives. When we are authentic, our mission or serving, and our actions will be evidenced by the way we live.

      As Jesus tells us in Luke 6:46-49:

⁴⁶Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.

⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, which dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.

      Jesus asks us to not just believe His Word; He asks us to carry out His Word in actions and deeds.

      Simon knew it when he got the call and responded immediately (read Luke 5:1-11). I am not saying that you should walk away from everything like Simon did; what I want to point out is that you will know it when you are called, as Simon did.

Missionaries, Servants, and Servers—what’s the Difference?

The real giants have all been weak people who did great things for God because they accepted His power and His presence to be with them.

   To serve and to be a servant can go hand-in-hand and can also be quite different. A servant is someone who serves others in many different ways and at any time. They are spontaneous people who step up and say, “I can help with that,” or “what can I do?” Pastors love these people. They are ready and willing to step up and help.

      A servant (Christ-following servant) is someone who serves the Lord and His children whenever and wherever.

      A server performs the act of serving, and it may be channeled down to a specific mission or calling. For example, someone may be gifted at intercessory prayer and will serve in that manner. My calling is to serve as stated in Matthew 25:36, to feed the hungry, visit the sick and those in prison, clothe the naked, and it also includes being a servant. The bottom line is, don’t worry about what you call yourself, just be the best server, servant, or missionary you can be. God will be happy with that.

      Romans 12:1-8 tells us to take the gifts God has given us and use them.

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

      Missionaries go a step further (or take it up another notch, as some might say). In addition to serving the Lord and their fellow man, they have a more specific calling that has been put on their hearts by God. Sometimes this calling is as clear as a bell and the person drops everything and GOES. At other times, the calling is there but it takes the person a little longer to figure out exactly what the calling is. But one thing is certain; you will know it when you are called.

      According to the dictionary a missionary is:

·         A person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities (such as educational or hospital work)

·         A person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others

·         A person who is sent on a mission

      Missionaries not only speak the Word of God; they act it, live it, and let their light shine to others as an example of what a Christ-follower is.

     

Missionaries are people who:

·         Plant churches

·         Mentor people

·         Assist with small businesses

·         Work with the local pastor in wherever they need assistance

·         Do outreach programs

·         Assist with food and clothing banks

·         Offer medical assistance

·         Provide educational opportunities for children

·         And more!

      Most importantly, most of the time they live with and alongside the people in the community they serve. Missionaries make a long-term commitment to serve in a location different from their home.

      All Christ-followers are (and are supposed to be) servants, as Jesus stated in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Being a servant is an integral part of being a Christ-follower and can be practiced every day and without any formal training.

      But before we serve our fellow man, we are told to serve the Lord first and foremost. In Luke 4:8, Jesus answered, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Then we are told, with Jesus’ permission, to serve others. Galatians 5:13 tells us how to serve, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

      To serve Christ is to follow His advice. All through the Old and New Testaments we are told how and when to serve our brothers and sisters, whether they are Christ-followers or not. Serving may be as easy as smiling at a stranger and saying “Good Morning” or it may be as difficult as standing by a friend as a loved one passes away.

Or it may involve sweat and determination through prayer or physical labor. To me, serving the Lord is as simple as living life the way Jesus wants us to!

      When you serve you must remember to:

·         Ephesians 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”

·         1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

·         1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

·         1 Peter 5:2, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve.”

·         And Matthew 6:24 sums it up. We must chose who and what we will serve. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

      Scriptures that give us advice on serving are for everyone. We are all called to serve. Other Scriptures that tell us of serving:

·         Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

·          2 Timothy 2:24, “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”

·         Hebrews 13:16, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Communicating with God

Finally, if you don’t think you are capable or doubt you can communicate with God, think again! May I remind you that God was so willing to communicate with us, that the Bible tells of a wide variety of methods God used to get His point across. We could say He was “out of the box”—and in ways we would remember.

      For example, when communicating with Mary, Joseph and the shepherds, He used Angels (Luke 1). He also used angels to speak to Jacob (Genesis 32). For Joseph, Pharaoh, Isaiah, and the Magi, He talked to them through dreams (Genesis 28, 37, 40, 41 and Isaiah 1). Balaam was talked to by a donkey (Numbers 22)! We can’t forget that Jonah was swallowed by a big fish (Jonah 2) and Moses spoke with the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).

      Also, the Bible tells us Moses, Abraham, Paul, and Jesus Himself heard God’s actual voice (Genesis 12, Exodus 7, Matthew 3, and Acts 18). Now what about us, how do we communicate with God?

      We go through Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2).

      You want to serve God? Start with pleasing Him by being obedient as stated in 1Samuel 15:22, “But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.’”

      Luke 4:8 tells us Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

      When we do this according to God’s Word, you will be walking in His path.

What Type of Christ-Follower Are You?

In September of 2009 I wrote the following message for a Bible study titled “What type of Christ-follower are you?” Many of the Scriptures and thoughts in that message are pertinent to helping us become the best server, servant or missionary we can be. I pray that you will find it helpful.

 

 

Bible study meessage

Join, Sign Up, Volunteer, Sign Here

Any time you join something, volunteer with a group, and even when you sign up for a credit card you must accept the rules and regulations of that organization or society. And when you join or follow that group, you are stating that you believe in that organization and its principles and policies. That does mean you will always follow the rules, no, you will mess up occasionally. However, you will try very hard to follow the requests of that group or organization.

      You should not join something and then occasionally follow the rules and guidelines when it suits your purpose. Anything worth committing to will require faith, allegiance, hard work, commitment, apologies when you mess up, congratulations to others when they succeed, and adherence to the regulations even when you don’t understand them.

      What does that have to do with following Jesus? There are many similarities. Why would you join the Rotary Club and work diligently at following their code of conduct and at the same time be a Christ-follower and only follow Scripture when you feel like it? Too many Christians today fall into that category.

      We take other organizations we belong to very seriously for many reasons, they may be important to the community, all the right people belong or maybe we can get some special treatment if we belong are just a few of the reasons we may join. While accepting Jesus (and joining Him) affects our physical life on Earth and our spiritual life after we are gone, we do not seem to take following His code of conduct very seriously. Joining and following Him affects our eternity while joining civic groups will only get us recognition from other people. Which do you take more seriously?

I Have to Do What?

   Accepting Christ and becoming a Christ-follower should not be taken lightly! Did you know what you were getting into when you accepted Christ? Are you looking for your identity as a Christ-follower? Or are you only following His important commands and relying on His grace and forgiveness to cover the rest of your sins?

      These are just a few questions we need to ask ourselves whether we are a new Christian or a seasoned believer. We will study these questions and we will look to Scripture to find the answers and what Jesus requires us to do if we commit to following Him.

      In this study we will not compare our walk with the Lord to others, or discuss how we are doing on our walk, or talk about how close or far others are walking with the Lord. It will be a personal study to discover who we are in Jesus and how we can grow as we walk with Him and live out His ways. We will learn how serious we are about following Christ!

According to Scripture, How Should Christ-Followers Live?

   Listed below are some questions and Scriptures that will help you answer those questions. There are many other Scriptures available so take a little time to search them out and discover the answers more fully on your own. As a Christ-follower it is our obligation to study Scripture not just let people tells us what it says!

·         What is expected of us when we accept the Lord and are baptized?

·         Who are we?

·         How do we live?

·         When others see how we act, do they recognize us as Christ-followers?

·         Why should we be baptized?

·         Should we change our way of life and how we act?

      Colossians 3:5-10 answers this last question:

⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these; anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

      So the answer would be “Yes.” We must change, according to Scripture. If we accept Jesus, we are expected to change! Some Scriptures that will help you answer many questions about making this change are:

·         Ephesians 4:1-3, 25-31; 5:3-7, 15-20; 6:7

·         Philippians 2:3-7; 2:14; 4:5-7

·         Colossians 2:6-8; 3:5-23

·         1 Thessalonians 4:1, 7, 11; 5:12-22

·         2 Thessalonians 2:3, 15, 14-16

·         2 Timothy 2:14-16, 22-26

·         Titus 3:1-2

·         Hebrews 4:15-16; 10:22-25; 12:; 13:1-5, 16-17

·         James 1:9-10, 19; 2:1, 14-18; 4:17

      Did anyone catch that in the above list I left out the most important Scripture that sets the stage for our Christian walk? It is found in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30 and 33, Luke 10:27. It is the most important commandment. Do you know what it is? Here’s what Matthew says,

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

      As I said, these are just a few Scriptures that advise us on how to live. You may also want to read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and don’t forget the book of Acts among others. Discuss the subject of a Christ-follower’s lifestyle and the need and/or reason to change in a small group. And I need to restate, your answers must come from Scripture without any personal preferences added. If we signed up with Jesus, we must follow His guidelines and requests if we truly mean what we said when we accepted Him. (This is the end of the Bible study message)

Basic Points to Ponder

·         It is good to tell people what we mean but it is more effective to show them by how we live.

·         We are not required to be smart; however we are required to be loyal.

·         The disciples had a teacher (Jesus) who practiced with them what he wanted them to learn. He showed them He meant what He said.

·         For the first year of the disciples training they just watched and followed Jesus. That’s how they learned, by words and actions.

·         As with the disciples, we are called to serve and obey. It was not their position to question why and neither is it ours. It is our duty to carry out His request.

      I pray you will enjoy the discovery of learning from Scripture as much as I do. It is a challenge sometimes, but it is worth it.

      First Thessalonians 5:12-22:

¹²Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. ¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²²Avoid every kind of evil.

Chapter 4 • Your Journey—Are You Ready and Equipped?

When God calls you, He shows you what you’ve got, then empowers you with how to use it.

   Even before I started on my journey, the Lord was preparing me for mission work. In my past there were people, circumstances, and events in my life that helped me to mature. These would be useful as I served and when I stepped out and became a missionary.

      As you consider your walk with the Lord, look to your past, the direction you have been going, and the people involved in your life. Has the Lord been preparing you for something special? Do you question things? Are you passionate about your faith? Do you have a real desire to work for the Lord and want to act on that desire? If so, you may be on your way to becoming a more active servant for the Lord. When I first started actively serving, I could answer “yes” to all of those questions and I still can today.

      I have not always been this compassionate and open. Maybe you have not been either, and that’s OK. Jesus recruited many common, broken, and questionable people to serve Him and His ministry. One thing they all had in common was their strong sense of faith. Real servants of the Lord have it (there will be examples at the end of this chapter).

      Take Jonah, for example. He was told by God to do something and he ran away. He also caused others to be in jeopardy before he relented and did what God asked (Jonah chapters 1—4).

      Then there was Moses, who killed a man, hid his body and fled the country (Exodus 2:11).

      Let’s not forget Saul, a persecutor of Christians (read Acts 9:1-6).

      And those two tax collectors—some of the most despised people in the land—Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9) and Matthew (Matthew 9:9).

      Other common people were Gideon, a farmer (Judges 6:11); Jephthah, son of a prostitute (Judges 11:1); Ester, a slave girl; and Mary, a peasant girl (Luke 1; 7-38).

      We need to remember that we will never be perfect for the job. We just need to let God work in us and refine us to be the people He wants us to be. We are not justified; He will justify us. Romans 12:6 reminds us, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” We all have gifts. Find yours and use them in service to the Lord.

Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.

      I grew up with a father who did not have anything good to say about any minorities. Fortunately, most of his bigotry did not rub off on me. As a youth, when I made racial comments and believed in stereotypes, there was this nagging feeling that what I was doing was not right. I did not know it then but I do now, that it was the Holy Spirit working in me while I was trying to ignore it.

      God was and is patient with me. He did not abandon me even when I abandoned Him. He kept offering me opportunities to accept Him and I finally did.

      There is a lot to learn and prepare for as you respond to your calling, but we are blessed because we do not have to know it all or get it right before we start. God allows mistakes and he mentors us as we learn and grow in His service.

      It took years for the 12 apostles to get it right. They were common ordinary men. They were prejudiced, temperamental, and argumentative, just like many of us. They also made mistakes in their judgment and had to ask for forgiveness many times. But they had one major thing in common: They loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him.

      Are you ready and equipped? You can be if you let Colossians 3:12-15 be your guide.

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

¹⁶Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God has a purpose in all things and a process.

      An equipped servant will also know and keep this Scripture in heart: Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

      Speaking of faith, pay close attention to Hebrews 11:3-12,

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ⁴By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. ⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

      That is an example of faith to strive for.

      You have the faith, now are you ready to be a server, be it as servant or missionary. If you are ready, the next thing is actively serving in some manner. Luke 6:45-47 talks about action in your walk,

⁴⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. ⁴⁶Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.

      If you claim to be a Christ-follower, then you are expected to serve, and people will notice if your actions fit your words!

      James 1:22-25 again talks about action in a follower’s life,

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

      Christ set an example for all of us to follow in everything he did. He loved His Father totally and unconditionally (as we are to do); He loved His neighbor no matter what circumstances they were in (as we are to do); He was a servant to all (as we are to do); He had pity for those in need (as we are to do). In the final sacrifice, He died for others as we may be called to do, as stated in 1 John 3:16-20,

¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ¹⁹This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

     

Chapter 5 • Prayer

   If you are a Christ-follower, everything should start with prayer. I am still struggling with that one. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own excitement of what I am doing or going to do that I forget to bring it to the Lord. I forget to thank Him for the opportunity to serve, the health to carry out His mission, for providing the people and finances to complete His task and to thank Him in advance for the blessings that will come out of the work done in His name. There will be blessings for sure. I may not know what they were or who was blessed—that should not be one of my goals as a missionary/servant—but blessings will come directed by His hand and in His time.

      Then there are the times when I get so frustrated with something or somebody that I don’t feel like praying. I know what I should do. Usually I should be asking someone for forgiveness or forgiving someone else, but my sinful nature comes out and I don’t. I know that I am doing wrong and I do it anyway. Romans 7:19 sums it up for me, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

When we allow God to direct us, He directs us through His Word, prayer, listening to His voice and wise counsel from others.

      Prayer means different things to different people. After reading a lot of Scripture on prayer, I have come to a definite conclusion. The Old Testament, the New Testament, and Jesus put the utmost importance on prayer.

      The New Testament inundates us with information on how to pray, when to pray and reasons to pray. These teachings are appropriate for everyone and are timeless (there will be examples and Scripture verses later on in this chapter).

      Norman Vincent Peale stated that two things revolutionized his life: Finding Jesus and learning to pray. That is what Jesus was trying to tell people in His ministry, we need to accept Jesus and learn to pray, and that message is just as important today. Some may say that Jesus was not lost, so Peale did not need to find Him. That is correct, but it was Peale who was lost. No matter how we say it, the important thing is that Jesus came into Peale’s life.

      There are many different books on how to pray. The authors sometimes seem to think that theirs is the way to a better prayer life, being closer to God, getting your prayers answered, or being heard by God. This implied that you can only accomplish these things if you read their book and follow their instructions.

      I read in one book, “When we graduate from problem-centered prayer to purpose-driven prayer we can discover prayer’s higher purpose.” I have to admit that when I hear the word “driven” in relation to God, it rubs me the wrong way. God does not drive me, nor am I driven by Him. I am led. He leads me and guides me. Think about John 10:3, “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

      In the Old Testament, the shepherd was very important and symbolized a royal caretaker of God’s people. The shepherd called only the sheep in his flock and they followed him and he took care of the flock (the way God takes care of His followers). The shepherd knew his flock; they knew and trusted him, and followed. In John 12:50, “I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” Again, the Father leads us.

      I can’t remember reading anything in the Bible stating that God drives us! If it’s in there, please let me know. I am always ready to learn more about Scripture, but only in the way God wants it taught!

      Some say prayer is a mental process. To grow in your prayer life, you will struggle with lack of discipline and pain and agony of thought. I feel the only mental process in prayer is the organizing of the words, and sometimes we don’t even have to do that.

      Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” The Holy Spirit will help us pray.

      Prayer is not a way to get what we want. It is a conversation with our Lord and Savior at which time we can pour out our heartfelt feelings, doubts, and shortcomings, and know without a doubt that they are heard and compassionately understood.

     

Prayer is also a time;

·         to give thanks for the many blessings we undeservedly receive

·         to ask for help and assistance for ourselves and others

·         to continue to build a relationship

·         to repent and ask for forgiveness for the sins we commit

      Again, we pray with the knowledge that our Lord loves us, wants the best for us, and will answer our prayers.

      When we pray we acknowledge a belief in the personality of God. We acknowledge His ability and willingness to work with us and through us to answer prayers. We also acknowledge His power to personally control all things in order to accomplish His will as He answers prayers.

      If we are praying with the right attitude, we pray with the knowledge that our prayers will be answered in God’s time and in the way He wants to answer them. If we have the right attitude, we also accept His answers with grace and thanksgiving, no matter what the outcome, and we will continue to pursue Him. Hebrews 10:22 reminds us, “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Our prayers must be sincere. And remember, God does not have to answer our prayers; He wants to!

      And yes, it is OK to ask for things that you want, as long as they are things that are fitting and proper in God’s eyes. When praying, we must remember to be humble, sincere, submitting to His will and answers, and have faith that He will answer.

      We are reminded that we can ask for things.

·         Matthew 7:8, “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

·         Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

      I have read somewhere that there are three answers to prayers: “yes,” “no”, and “not now.” At first I did not give much thought to that statement. But after thinking about it, it makes sense. I can’t think of one of my prayers that have not been answered (directly and indirectly) by a “yes,” “no,” or “not now.”

      When I was younger and had not studied the Bible very much, I used to think prayer was something you had to learn how to do and to grow into if you wanted to become proficient and acceptable to God through prayer. Words had to flow like a melody or be poetic, and at the end of your prayer people should be amazed at your prowess. I never wanted to pray out loud because I thought I could never measure up to the experts I had heard. I did not realize it at the time, but when I prayed, I was trying to measure up to man, not trying to communicate with God. Boy, was I wrong!

      Yes, God listens to me when I am poetic and the words flow like a melody. He also listens when I am mumbling, my voice is shaky and I am at a loss for words. He even listens when my heart is in pain and I say nothing. God is not concerned with the words we use; He is concerned with the condition and the sincerity of our heart when we pray. He is not interested in empty formality (like the hypocrisy of the Pharisees) but true heart worship! Isaiah 29:13 states about these empty prayers, “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up of only rules taught by men.’”

Prayer is not a one-way street. We pray and God listens, we listen for God’s reply, and we accept His answers.

      As I have matured in my walk with the Lord, my prayers are a lot different. I acknowledge that the Lord is Sovereign, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is good. And that He pours out blessings upon me that I do not and never will deserve. He is the God of love and compassion. Some of my prayers are poetic while others are as simple as “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And when my heart is in the right place, He hears all my prayers.

Prayer in the Old Testament

   Old and New Testament prayer are different in many ways as is shown in these few Scripture passages and thoughts. Before Christ, our sins were covered by sacrifices offered to God. Psalms 32:1, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

Another difference is that in the Old Testament, people prayed for revenge, pain, and suffering to be spilled out on their enemies.

      Other thoughts on Old Testament prayer: Prayer is an expression of a personal relationship that gives you access to God. It should be a covenant relationship between you and our Lord. Your appeals in prayer are based on either promises already made by God in His Word or the revealed character of God. Our basis in confidence in prayer is not what we, the believer, has done or will do, but rests on the foundation of who God is.

      From the beginning, Old Testament believers understood that God is Sovereign. No one has the right to command Him or the wisdom to council Him. Prayer is not an effort to manipulate God or tell Him what to do. It is an expression of the believer’s submission to God and the confidence that God’s purpose and plans are best.

      In the Old Testament, we are reminded that God hears every petition and to truly pray is to believe that God really cares about us. God is also not limited by or bound by circumstances. When God decides to intervene, he does. He can go through the natural process, set aside the natural process, or use both to accomplish His wishes. Exodus 14:21 shows how God set aside and used the natural process when He parted the Red Sea: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.” To expect answers to prayer and to have faith, the believer must have unlimited confidence in God like Moses did!

      Also in the Old Testament, God shows us that sometimes our prayers are answered directly, suddenly, and bluntly. By faith, the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned (Exodus 14:15-30).

      Other prayers are answered slowly and in a process. Like in Joshua 6:1-20, “by faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days.” When and however prayers are answered there is one thing we can be sure of, they are answered in God’s time.

      The Old Testament has many examples of the results of answered prayers. Judges 15;18-19 describes Samson crying out to God,

¹⁸Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, “You have given your servant this great victory.

Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised? ¹⁹Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it.

            And in the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah prayed for the opportunity to go and rebuild Jerusalem, God softened the heart of the King of Persia and Nehemiah got his wish.

Faith is what makes prayer effective.

New Testament Prayer

   In Christ, we are forgiven because He died forus and intercedes for us. We are now to pray in the name of Jesus and are made worthy by His blood. Also in Christ we find that prayer is an expression of a personal relationship with Jesus. Unlike in Old-Testament times we don’t pray for revenge. We pray for forgiveness. In Matthew 5:43-44 we are told,

⁴³You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

      In Jesus, we are children of God, and God, to us, is Father. We are free to come to God in confidence and know that we are welcome and heard. We know that God will give us His good gifts and meet our needs. He invites us to come to Him as a child comes to a father, knowing He loves us, will hear us, and He will give us what is best. I think that is the basic perspective on prayer throughout the New Testament.

      One example of how to pray is in Matthew 6:5-15,

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

      Digging deeper into examples of prayer, prayer life, and what is required in prayer, we find the following guidelines.

      In Luke 11:7-8 Jesus talks about the parable of the man that comes to his friend’s house late at night and knocks on the door to ask for three loaves of bread. The friend said, “No, go away.” It was late and everyone was asleep. The man was bold to go to the friend’s house at that late hour and he was even bolder to keep asking. His persistence got him the three loaves of bread!

      Scripture tells us our heavenly Father wants to answer our prayers and to respond to the needs of His children. This parable gives us one of the guidelines we must meet if we want our prayers answered. We must be persistent in our prayers. New Testament Scripture leads me to believe that if we are not persistent in asking God, through our prayers, for what we want we must not want it very much. In Luke 11:9-10, Jesus tells us,

⁹So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

      Jesus tells us three times to be persistent. If we do so and follow His guidelines for prayer, our requests will be answered, but only if they are in keeping with God’s will in our lives. We also must remember not to try to manipulate God through prayer and we must believe and not doubt that our prayers can and will be answered.

      When we pray, we can do short prayers or longer ones. The main thing we can’t do is keep on babbling like pagans, as stated above in Matthew 6:7-8. Their prayers were sometimes a continuous incantation of the same words over and over. This is not contrary to the above statement about being persistent. We are to ask for the same things over and over, just not in the same prayer. As Luke 18:1 tells us, “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” You can read the Parable of the Persistent Widow for yourself in Luke 18:1-8.

     

Another guideline in our prayer life is in John 15:7-8,

⁷If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

      Abide is another key word in having our prayers answered. Are we living life centered on God? I John 3:22 states, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” Here we are told to keep His commandments, along with abide in Him, and live a life centered on Him.

      We are also reminded to pray according to His will. I John:5-14, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

      We are told if we ask for something with the wrong motives, we will not get it! James 4:2-3 is pretty strong but to the point,

²You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

      Basically, Scripture tells us that when we pray we need to follow our Lord’s guidelines if we want to have our prayers answered:

·         We must be persistent.

·         We need not babble.

·         We must abide in Him.

·         We must pray with the right motives.

·         We must pray according to His will and His will be done.

      All of our prayer requests should include (or at least always assume) the words “if it be Your will.” The hard part here is for us to accept the answers to our prayers “according to His will.” Too many times we forget this part and want it according to our will and what we think is best.

      Other guidelines for prayer from Scripture are:

·         Pray for our enemies: Matthew 5:44

·         Don’t be a hypocrite: Matthew 6:5

·         Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you: Luke 6:28

·         Believe and you will receive: Matthew 21:22

·         Pray to resist temptation: Mark 14:38

·         Pray and don’t give up: Luke 18:1

·         Pray to repent: Acts 8:22

·         Pray instead of being anxious: Philippians 4:6

·         Pray for each other: James 5:16

·         Build up your faith and pray in the Holy Spirit: Jude 1:2

·         Forgive others: Matthew 6:15

     

John 17, it tells us how Jesus prayed.

·         He looked toward the heavens (it was also acceptable for people to prostrate themselves – lay face down on the ground) as He prayed.

·         Jesus called God “Father” (the word Father is used 122 times in the book of John) showing how closely connected the Father and Son were. We also can have that close connection with our Father.

·         He testifies that God is the only true God.

·         Jesus was not self-centered in His prayer life. He prayed for His disciples and all believers.

·         Jesus prayed that believers would not have the mindset of the world.

      Matthew 26:41 tells us: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” When we are attacked by temptation, we tend to be unfaithful in the face of threatening circumstances. Our spirit is willing to fight and resist when God is in control. But our human body and mind is weak and may fall into the temptation.

Open our eyes, Lord, so we can see the wonderful things in your world.

      The Apostle Paul gives us some examples of his prayer life;

·         He prayed for spiritual wisdom: Ephesians 1:15-22

·         He prayed for spiritual growth: Ephesians 3:14-21

·         He offered a prayer of thanksgiving: Colossians 1:3-14

      This is only a partial list of the ways prayer is mentioned in Scripture. I chose these Scriptures concerning prayer because they offer insight to people involved in mission work or as servants.

      There are also countless Scriptures in the Old Testament that tell us to listen to God or we will face the consequences. They also remind us and that if we do listen, we will be blessed.  And as a follower it is our responsibility to listen. Starting off in Deuteronomy 30:20 it states: “and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.”

      When Moses led the Israelites into the desert of Shu, they were complaining about not having water. He provided sweet water for them, and then Moses said in Exodus 15:25-26:

²⁵There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there He tested them. ²⁶He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

      Also in the New Testament we are told to listen to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Matthew we read that God tells Peter, James and John to listen to Jesus. Matthew 17:5, “While (Jesus) was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’”

      And, James talking to the 12 tribes tells them in James 1: 22-25,

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.

      And I can’t leave out the words of Isaiah 55:2-3 when it comes to advice on listening.

²Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. ³Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

            When we pray, we need to be patient and wait for God to answer in His time and be ready to listen fully when that time comes. When the answer does come, we need to be clear-headed, right-minded, and with a Christ-filled heart so we can understand His answer. Not listening to God can, and does, get us into all kinds of problems. These problems we bring on ourselves, because we don’t listen properly!

The Holy Spirit

Repeatedly in the New Testament we are told that Jesus brings to us baptisms with the Holy Spirit.

·         Mathew 3:11, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

·         Mathew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

·         Mark 1:8, “I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

·         Luke 3:16, “John answered them all, I baptize you with water. But One more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

      Jesus makes the Holy Spirit available to us if we accept Him in our lives.

      We are told that the Holy Spirit will speak through us:

·         Mark 13:11, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

·         Luke 1:67, “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, boldly.”

·         Luke 12:22, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

·         Acts 1:16, “and said Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas.”

·         Acts 4:31, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God.”

      The Holy Spirit will teach us, help us speak, and get our message across if we allow Him to.

      And the Holy Spirit will work in our lives:

·         2 Peter 1:21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

·         Luke 1:35, “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

·         John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

      The Holy Spirit helps direct our actions and the outcome of our life in Christ. All this interaction shows how extremely important it is to have the Holy Spirit in our life and in our prayer life.

      We are also reminded:

·         Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

·         Romans 8:25, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

·         Jude 1:20, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

      The Holy Spirit is important in our prayer lives!

      I have read where Christian writers and pastors stated that it takes years to learn how to pray, praying is a process and you must take certain steps in order to do it right, and if you don’t pray in a certain manner, your prayers will not be answered. Correct me if I am wrong, but in all the Scripture I have read concerning prayer, I have not found any of those conditions. Yes, God and Jesus give us plenty of examples on prayer and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. However I get the feeling that Jesus tells us the most important thing is to start praying and pray often.

      Matthew 22:36-38,

³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment.”

      If we love the Lord we will pray to Him because we are told to do so in this and so many other Scriptures.

      One final thought on this chapter. Colossians chapter 1 has many suggestions on how to pray for other believers:

·         Thank God for their faith and changed lives.

·         Pray that they will hear God’s calling as He guides them.

·         Pray for deeper understanding of His Word in their lives.

·         Pray that they live for God and accept His assistance.

·         Pray that they have a better understanding of who He is.

·         Pray for their strength and determination.

·         And pray for their lives to be filled with gratitude, endurance, patience, and joy, giving thanks to the Father.

      As I read these words and compared them with the way I pray for fellow believers, I discovered I fell short. How does your prayer life fit in to these recommendations?

      We are told in Luke 4:8 that Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Praying is a form of worship, so it is part of what we are to do.  

      If you don’t spend very much time in prayer or are not praying, start right now. Get right with God, build that relationship with Jesus, allow the Holy Spirit to work in you—with you and through you, and read Scripture about prayer. Your relationship with our Lord will grow, your prayer life will improve and your walk will be a little closer to God! We can’t be reminded enough of the importance of prayer!

Finally, we need to remember that God only answers prayers that are in alignment with His will, that will bring glory to Him and that the answers will be what is best for us. And that we do not have the power to change His mind (Isaiah 46:10-11 “…declaring the end from the beginning, and from the past things which were not done, saying, My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure … What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do”).

      Pray and you will be blessed!

Chapter 6 • Remember Who You Are Serving: GOD

  So you are considering increasing your servanthood or becoming a missionary. One of the most important things you need to remember is that if you say you are a Christ-follower, you are a servant already! And you ARE representing God. You are telling the world that you believe in God, the Bible and all its teachings, and have chosen to serve Him. You are a sinner just like all the people you are serving no better, no less. But as a Christ-follower, you are called to repent of your sins and turn and go in the other direction.

As long as we keep believing it, God’s Word will keep working in us.

  However, be warned: People will be watching you closely to see what kind of representative of God you are, even if they don’t believe in God! It will be as if your life is shown on a very big-screen TV and everyone is watching. Remember, we are to carry and share God’s love first and foremost above all else we do.

GOD, Who Is He?

Think often about God’s Words; store them in your heart so they will hold you back from sin.

Who is God?

To name just a few of our terms to describe Him, He is:

·         I AM

·         Teacher

·         Father

·         Creator

·         Giver of Life

·         Wonderful Counselor

·         Our King and Savior

·         Great Physician

To list a few of His names, He is also known as:

·         Elohim (God)

·         Yahwea (The Lord)

·         El Elyon (God Most High)

·         El Roi (God Who Sees)

·         El Shaddai (God Almighty)

·         Adonai (Lord)

·         El Olam (The Everlasting God)

God, As Described in the Old Testament:

·         Exodus 34:5-7, “⁵Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. ⁶And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

·         Deuteronomy 4:24, “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

·         Deuteronomy 4:31, “For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.”

·         Deuteronomy 20:4, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

·         Psalms 48:14, “For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”

·         Psalms 94:22, “But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”

God, As Described in the New Testament:

·         John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

·         Acts 10:34, “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’”

·         Romans 5:5, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

·         1 Corinthians 1:9, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

·         1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,”

·         1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

·         1 John 4:7-9, “⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

·         Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

What Has He Done for Us?

   For starters, in the beginning He created us in His image and brought us life. Genesis 1:26, “God spoke:

“Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

      He put us in the Garden of Eden: Genesis 2:8, “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.”

      And then gave us choice: Genesis 2: 16-17,

¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.

      Genesis 3:1-6,

¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” ²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

When the evil day comes, you will discover what you are made of.

      Remember, God does not control us, He allows us to control ourselves. He gives us free will and the ability to choose. When He gave us that free will and choice, He did not leave us out there on our own to struggle without direction. He provides us with instructions, examples and tells us of the consequences if we choose incorrectly.

He also offers forgiveness and a way to return if we make the wrong choice. When we mess up, He will forgive us but we must ask for it. Acts 26:20 tells us what to do: “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” We must repent.

God guides us by His spirit.

      He gives us the opportunity to repent. What does that mean? Repent means to turn around, go in the other direction, or to have regret or even remorse on account of sin. It’s not over when we repent. We then need to try and do better and not make the wrong choice and sin again. Acts 3:19 tells us: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

      When we ask for forgiveness and repent, we are forgiven. We also have to remember that when others repent we must forgive them also. In Luke 17: 3-4 Jesus said to His disciples,

³So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.

      And most importantly He gives us the chance for salvation. In the Old Testament we are told in Daniel 12:2, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”

      The New Testament states in John 6:47, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” And John 14:6, “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And, finally, in John 3:16, Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

      He gives us unconditional love and salvation.

GOD, What Is He?

   Teacher, Role Model, Advice Giver, Counselor. His expertise is endless.

As Father and Teacher, He instructs us in all the ways that are helpful in providing us with a fulfilled and meaningful life. In the book of Ephesians (my favorite) and others, Jesus instructs us, through Paul, as counselor on how to treat each other:

·         Husbands and wives: Ephesians 5:22-30,

²²Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰for we are members of his body.

·         Children and parents: Ephesians 6:1-4,

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, ³that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. ⁴Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

·         Managers and employees (masters and slaves): Ephesians 6:5-9,

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ⁸because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. ⁹And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

·         He also talks about how to treat your neighbor and how to have a wholesome community with high standards: Ephesians 4:25-32,

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶In your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need. ²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

·         And for those interested in serving, he instructs us on what it means to serve:

·         Ephesians 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”

·         Mark 9:35, “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

·         Romans 12:11, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

·         Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

·         John 12:26, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

·         John 13:16, “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

·         Ephesians 3:7, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.”

·         2 Timothy 2:24, “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”

      The reality of it is, if you have questions about who, what, where, when and how, go to the Bible for the answer. Sometimes you may not like the answer you find, but it will be the RIGHT answer. Most of the time His teachings are simple and to the point. He has provided to us the Bible, which is full of information that is to the point and pertinent to help us change our lives. If only we will allow it to.

God’s Word is like medicine. You don’t have to understand how it works; you just have to keep taking it.

Helpful Scriptures

The following Scriptures have been helpful to me. I recommend that you read them and ponder what they say. Listen to some of the passages of Scripture from Jesus and His Disciples.

·         In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul is not telling us to completely forget about our past sins, but instead to not dwell on them and let them affect our future.

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

      As we judge:

·         Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” What Jesus is saying here is that we are not relieved of the responsibility to discern right from wrong; He condemns unjust and hypocritical judging of others.

·         Mathew 7:2, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” In other words, judge wisely.

·         In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, Paul is telling us to test everything that the prophets say and anyone that claims to speak in the name of the Lord. If we are to judge, discern, analyze (or whatever you want to call it), we are to do it according to the guidelines in Scripture.

²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²²Avoid every kind of evil.

Chapter 7 • Satan

James 2:19 asks, “Do you still think it’s enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!”

      There is a Satan. Real evil and temptation are caused by him. The Old Testament tells of Satan trying to interfere with the workings of the Lord, offering temptations and testing man’s faith in the Lord, such as in Job 1:9-12,

⁹“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

      In the New Testament, Satan tries to get God’s people to worship him. In Matthew 4, Satan tries to tempt, test, and get Jesus to worship him!

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

“Satan has no real power in my life, but can only work through deception. Deception to deceive me into choosing to allow my flesh to dominate my soul.”
—Author Craig Hill.

      Satan is also who you will be dealing with as Christ-followers and he must be addressed. I am not going to get into who is Satan and where he came from. That is not essential to what we are covering. What IS important is that he will be out there challenging you, confusing you, tempting you, and trying to get you to make the wrong choices. Satan can’t make you do anything; he can only offer you and tempt you with choices. In Matthew 16:23, Jesus tells Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” And if Satan can tempt Peter, he can surely tempt us! Second Thessalonians 2:9-10 tells us,

⁹The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, ¹⁰and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.

      When you are into serious serving and in the mission field, you will get to see this kind of stuff first hand.

      Satan also uses trickery and deception, so be careful because all that is good may not be what it seems! Second Corinthians 11:14-15 describes one of Satan’s tricks,

¹⁴And no wonder for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

      Luke reminds us in Acts 20:30-32,

³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. ³²Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up.

If Satan is digging up your past, it’s because he has nothing new to attack you with.

      Servants and missionaries in third world countries have to be especially careful because of the use and belief in witchcraft, voodoo, and all types of Satan worshiping that is imbedded in the culture.

      When we come up against evil, it will be in many forms, styles, and circumstances, and from a variety of people. We must be on guard and vigilant because he may be an angel of light as stated in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Again we are told he has no control of us except through disguises and trickery.

      Jesus was vigilant. In Mark 1:13 we are told: “And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.” Satan could not make Jesus do anything, he could only tempt Him through lies, promises, and offerings. Jesus prayed and was attended to by angels. God offers us the same opportunity as we resist temptation and Satan. We are to pray and we will be attended to by God, who will help us resist.

      When we hear the words of God, we are to let them take root in our heart so we will have a firm foundation.

      Mark 4:13-20 gives us some examples of how the Word is sown and what happens to it.

¹³Then Jesus said to them, Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

      We are not to just learn or memorize the Word, we are to know the Word in our heart and live it. Don’t let Satan confuse you by distorting the Word!

      First Corinthians 7:5 tells us that one way Satan can tempt us is by our lack of self control: “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Control is manipulating the circumstances to engineer the outcome you want.

      We are told in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” With our faith in God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can resist Satan and his angels. Stand firm as it states in 1 Peter 5:8-9,

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

      We must remember that just because we can’t see the enemy does not mean he is not real and we are not in battle. In our Christian life we battle against many things, powers, and authorities.

      As stated in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” To stop the enemy, we must use all the power, authority, tools, and strength granted to us by God.

      Ephesians 6:10-18 puts it all in context,

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

 ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

      What Paul writes in Ephesians is not just for the church, the Scripture is for all of us within the church. Individuals and the corporate church body must be ready to do battle. We fight with the strength of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Satan’s goal is to defeat Christ’s followers and thereby defeat the church. But we have the power to stop him. Although as we continue to fight, we will not win the battle. Jesus will do that when he returns.

      In Revelation 17:14 we are told of the final victory, “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

      We will have our small victories with assistance from God; as long as we have Jesus in our hearts, Satan cannot dwell in us and we can’t be possessed. There is no room for two masters.

Christ-Followers and Satan

   In May of 2010 I gave the following message on the power of Satan to the men and women at the Rehabilitation Centers in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. The facts are the same as what is written above, but this message discusses the power of Satan from a different perspective. I thought I would add it to this book because for some, it may resonate better than my previous comments.

What Power Does Satan Have?

   Limited! And that information comes directly from Scripture. However, he is still dangerous and we must take him seriously. An unknown author put it this way “Demons cannot live in Christians’ hearts, but they can perch on Christian shoulders and whisper in Christians’ ears.”

Can Christians Be Possessed?

   Many people think that Satan can possess a Christian and make them do sinful things. Some Christians even think that there are Christians that are possessed by the devil and there are words you can say with the power of Jesus and drive them out. This is not a true statement and there are Scriptures that refute that claim (as I will show in this message).

Satan cannot possess a true Christ-follower! However, Satan can oppress or influence a Christian and that is a big difference. In the New Testament, Scriptures dealing with Satan and spiritual warfare, no one has ever been told to or has cast out an evil spirit from a believer. Repeatedly, we are told to resist.  

Who Do We Belong To and Who Is in Control?

   Before we get into what power—or lack of it—Satan has, we need to look at ourselves and what the Scriptures say about us and the power we have to fight him.

      I will only be talking about people that truly and honestly accept Jesus in their hearts as their Lord and Savior, repent, accept His ways and change their lives in order to follow Him. They are the believers that have total faith in Him and with this confession, the Holy Spirit will live in them and they will be a new creation.

      With that said, let’s start with 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,

¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

      First off, we belong to God and our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit. God dwells in us. This is also backed up by Romans 8:9, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” And in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

      As we all know, we can only have one master. And in Ephesians 6:9, we are told who our master is “And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

      First Peter 1:18-19 tells us we were purchased with Jesus’ blood,

¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

      And with that purchase we became a new creation as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

      For all the logical people let’s put faith aside for a moment and look at this logically. Do you think a God who would sacrifice His Son for us, save us from eternal damnation, create in His children a new person would then allow Satan to share power, control, and allow His children to be possessed by demons? I think not, logically and scripturally.

      Who has controlling interest in us? Look at 1 John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Who is in us, the Holy Spirit.” Who is in the world? Satan. God is greater than Satan.

      I think Scripture has established who we belong to and who is in control. Now let’s look at what Scripture has to say about how much power Satan has and how we are to fight him.

Satan’s Power and How to Deal with It

Satan and his demons have the power to do many things and even perform miracles. As told to us in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15,

¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

      And 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”

      There are many Scriptures that state Satan’s power is in tempting. To name a few:

·         Luke 4:13, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”

·         1 Corinthians 7:5, “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

·         Mark 1:13, “and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”

      Satan’s résumé also includes:

·         Leading the whole world astray; Revelation 12:9, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

·         Trying to outwit us; 2 Corinthians 2:11, “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

·         Becoming a stumbling block; Matthew 16:23, “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”

·         Getting a foothold; Ephesians 4:27, “and do not give the devil a foothold.”

·         Devouring us; 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

·         Trapping us; 2 Timothy 2:26, “and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

      There are a host of other sinful things that will separate us from our Lord if we don’t follow His ways.

      Again, Satan’s power is limited to tempting, tricking, scheming and lying.

What Do We Do to Resist?

    Rely on the Lord. Follow the instructions He gave us in Scripture, and follow the promptings from the Holy Spirit that lives inside us. Most importantly, Scripture tells us in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We are to resist.

      First John 4:1 tells us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” In order to test the spirits we need to recognize them and to do that we must know Scripture.

      Ephesians 6:10-12 tells us to rely on the power and the armor of God when challenging or being challenged by Satan.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

      And verse 18 from the same chapter tells us to PRAY, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

      Hold fast to your faith and the Lord will be faithful. As stated in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

The Final Word on Satan

    What I have learned is that a Christ-follower can’t be possessed by Satan, the Devil or the Evil One—whatever name he goes by. If a person is supposed to be a Christ-follower and is acting as if possessed, they are either faking it or they have not honestly turned over their lives to the Lord. God will not allow us to serve two masters at the same time.

      As far as being influenced, tricked, tempted, seduced, pursued, and having weaknesses, yes we deal with all of the above. And Satan will use any and all of his tricks and schemes to get us to distance ourselves from Jesus.

      There is another common assumption of Satan’s power that is untrue. It is the belief that Satan can make you sick. In all the research I did, I did not find any Scripture in the New Testament that states Satan can make you sick, give you a disease or kill you whenever he wants. Illness and disease are from things like germs, poor hygiene and an unhealthy lifestyle. Sin and death have been in our lives since Adam and Eve.

      Unfortunately many people spend too much time talking about Satan and his attacks. This is what he wants. When we are talking about him we are not talking about Jesus, who should be our main focus.

      We need to concentrate on Jesus, how he wants us to live and walk in His path. And when Satan comes to tempt you or get involved in your life, acknowledge that he is there but then send him away by the power of our Lord. Put on God’s full armor and rely on Jesus to see you through.

      One last thing, remember 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

And remember “YOU BELONG TO THE LORD.”

Chapter 8 • Cultural Knowledge

    When you go to a foreign country as a missionary or to serve the Lord in other ways you are accepting a major responsibility. You not only have to learn about a different culture, you have to embrace, accept and learn to live in that culture (except for things that contradict Scripture). While living in that culture, it is very important that you don’t compare their culture with your own. It will drive you crazy and hinder your assimilation into the new culture. In addition, there may be cultural traits that only apply to the region you are in. For example, in smaller towns in Mexico, it is not polite for strangers to come up to a house and knock on the door to see if someone is home. You get out of your vehicle, stand by their property line and call out to them by name. In larger cities it is permissible to go directly to their door and knock.

PTP; Give God the time to mature you.

      I discovered an interesting cultural difference right here in the United States. We were going to visit and work with the Navajo people on the reservation in northern Arizona. Before going on the mission trip I contacted the pastor that was ministering to the Navajo people and asked what were some important cultural differences I needed to know. I was informed that when the Navajo people talk to you, they will not look directly into your eyes; they will glance and turn away when talking. Staring at someone is rude and not polite. Also, they are quiet people and do not talk very much. When asked a question they give short and to the point answers. And it is OK to just sit quietly in a group of people with out saying anything. It’s a good thing I found this out before I went to serve with the Navajo people because I love to talk, ask questions, and learn. I also look people in the eye when I talk to them. If I had not learned about their culture and communication style, I would have thought they were being rude and not appreciative—and who knows what they would have thought of me! Possibly creating hardship on both sides!

      Learning the culture where you serve is also important in other ways. When you know the culture and listen to the people, you will be seen in a different light. I don’t know how many times I have heard from our Mexican friends about Americans coming to Mexico thinking they are doing something good when they are not. People bring worn out and dirty clothes to give to the people in the barrio (an insult to them) or bring food that the Mexicans don’t eat or even know what it is! They bring candy and sweets and do not realize the harm they are doing.

      Candy has little nutritional value and the people don’t have the money to take the kids to a dentist when they get cavities. It is also insulting and harmful to the missionaries in the area and confusing to the people in the community when well-intentioned outsiders make promises they don’t keep. Visitors will tell them that they will come back, and then they never do! I have been told by locals, “It’s like people come down here, do something they think is good, pat themselves on the back and then leave, most never coming back.” If you are serious about missions or serving, you will learn about the people before you start, and continue to become educated about their ways as you serve.

      Serving in Mexico, which is right next door to the United States, has its own set of unique problems and difficulties. We have had to learn the traditional cultural values and systems, and had to learn the cultural differences of the border (tourist) towns. They have a different set of cultural norms from rural Mexico and the United States. We have to act and respond differently depending on whether we are in the rural area or border (tourist) towns. To be accepted and respected by the people, you must know the people and spend time with them.

PTP; Your ideas can be delivered as bullets or seeds. You can soe them or shoot them.

      Another thing you must remember—and I’m sure it is the same with all cultures—is that the people will be watching you! You are representing God, the country you are from, and yourself as an individual. The way you treat your spouse and children, the expression on your face, the way you carry yourself, and how you greet people and respond to them are all very important messages you will be sending to them, whether you know it or not. They will see who you are without even talking to you and they will form an opinion of you and the One whom you represent. With this in mind, I ask, “What kind of opinion did you leave them with in the past? Knowing this, what type of opinion would you like to leave them with in the future?” People will know when you have a smile on your heart and they will be able to see it.

      You will know when you have made a genuine good impression. People, especially the elderly, will come up to you with a big smile, shake your hand, and offer you blessings in a language you may not understand verbally. But you will receive the message through their smile.

      To help learn about their culture, ask the experts—the people themselves! They will appreciate your interest in them and in doing things right.

 I also found a lot of great information on the internet. I studied the current culture norms and the history of Mexico. Not their entire history, just articles that would pertain to our mission work and making us better missionaries. Because of the conquest of the country by Spain, the Catholic Church had a major influence in formulating the cultural norms of the Mexican people and, to a great extent, the native peoples. I studied the influence the Catholic Church had on the people from past to present (being Protestant myself, that was a must).

      To succeed in missions, we must learn from and talk to all different kinds of people in the community. That includes people you may not like, people that have treated you poorly, dishonest people, people from other religions, and we can’t leave out the people from the government! They are all people from the community and, no matter what you may think of them, you may have to deal with them sometime in the future. Besides, Jesus does not tell us to shun them. In fact He tells us to minister to them and give them the opportunity to accept Him. If we exclude them from our conversations, how will they ever see Jesus in us? We can offer the message of Jesus to many people by just living the life He wants us to live. Let our actions do the talking!

PTP; We are not slow learners, just quick forgetters.

      I have talked about what we need to do concerning learning about another culture. Now let’s talk about the other side. Are their ideas about our culture accurate? I don’t think so. Do they have preconceived ideas of us? You bet they do! Same as we have of them. These preconceived ideas about who we are can cause as many problems in your ministry as we can cause in theirs if we don’t know them. To help solve this problem, you also must not only learn their culture; you must teach them yours.

      For example, before my Mexican sister-in-law became my sister-in-law, she lived in a small town in Mexico and was raised learning all about America from TV. She watched “Miami Vice,” the news, and the talk shows. Would you say she learned about the true America from those shows? I remember her comment to her mother after her first visit to the United States, “Mother, they have regular homes and go to work just like we do.” Ignorance is not bliss and it can do a lot of damage.

      Too many times we think we know about other countries and how to solve their problems. If they would just do this or that, they would be better off. Sometimes we forget what is involved in change and we expect others to use our logic even if they are from a different culture. We do not realize how differences in culture affect our thinking.

      In Mexico, even though Spanish is the official language, the government recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian languages as official national languages also. Think about it, that could mean the possibility of 62 different culture types to go with those languages. What a nightmare that could create!

      To help overcome all these obstacles, just remember and practice the fruits of the Spirit as told in Galatians 5:22-23,

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control.

      If you are going to have (or already have) a ministry in your community or somewhere else in the United States, you still have to know about culture differences. Yes, we as Americans have many different cultures right here within our borders. We all know about the Spanish culture that influences our daily lives: did you ever consider the Black culture, Asian, hillbilly (Southern to those that want to be politically correct)—I am one and, yes, we have a culture—Northern, New Age, American Indian and even California have their own cultures. Even though these cultures are in our own country, we still need to address them as we minister to their people.

      One way to love our neighbors is to know them. Be sure to know the people you are serving.

Chapter 9 • The Experiences that Mold Us

   As I have stated, you will know when you are called to missions or to serve. You can also probably look back and see how events in your life helped mold you for the position you are taking on right now, as you will see from my story.

      When I was called, at first it was to serve in small ways and in the local community. So most of my early adult Christian life has involved serving and a small amount of mission work.

PTP; When God speaks to us we will have an inner peace about it. But don’t let your excitement produce a false sense of peace, if true peace is not there. Inner peace is in knowing that your acrtions are approved by God.

      When my wife and I were married in 1986, I was working for IBM and we traveled a lot. From 1986 to 1992 we moved three times. When you constantly move, it’s a little more difficult to start and make strong relationships with people and find the right church home.

      Our first move was to Austin, Texas. During the five months we lived there, we church-shopped, as I call it. We were trying to find a church that had the same belief system that we did, a minister that taught and fellowshipped with the congregation, teachings that were Bible-based, friendly people, and that was an active church. We did not find one, so our involvement in the church and relationship-building did not happen. But we learned something! And it helped us when we moved again.

      From Austin, we moved to South Bend, Indiana—in January no less—and began the process of looking for a church home. This time with a new twist. Looking back at our time in Austin, we discovered that we were slow in trying to find a church; we did not step out and be assertive when meeting people. Instead, we waited for them to come to us. In essence, we waited for the church to find us instead of us finding the right church. We decided it would be different in South Bend, because WE would be different in South Bend. We confidently went to different churches to worship, introduced ourselves to people, talked to the minister and discussed their mission statement. In less than two months we found a church home, started making friendships, and became involved in the church.

 One month later, we were involved with the family ministry program, assisting with the family activities within the church and in outside activities. This is where we fell in love with serving.

      From South Bend we moved back to Austin, Texas, and repeated the same process. And again, we were successful in finding the right church home. We immediately became involved with the family fellowship program and served in many different ways.

PTP; When a season is over it is tim to move on.

      In 1992, I decided to leave IBM and we moved to the small town of Prescott, Arizona. We found our church home and became involved in family activities as usual. There was not a family fellowship program because no one wanted to be the facilitator. So we coordinated family activities on our own. Within three months we were asked to be the Family Fellowship Ministers. We jumped in with both feet! We coordinated many activities: a chili cook-off, food drives for the needy, fund-raising for ministry work. We also raised funds and clothing donations for the Navajo people in northeastern Arizona. There was also a trip to the reservation to take clothing and supplies and to help lay a concrete floor for a Hogan. That was our first taste of ministering with people living in extreme poverty. It opened my eyes in more ways than one. You see, I looked at the poor differently before I became a Christ-follower.

      As a child I lived in the inner city of Detroit, Michigan. We had little food, ragged clothes, and our water and electricity were even turned off a few times because my dad would spend his money on alcohol instead of paying the bills. But we always had a roof over our heads. At twenty-one years of age I became a Detroit Police Officer and worked in an area even poorer than where we lived. I saw and lived in poverty but did not see it though the eyes of Jesus. And when you finally do, it is totally different than the way you saw it before. The poor are our brothers and sisters that need a hand up, not a hand out. That’s what I learned to give them.

      Before we went to the Navajo Indian Reservation (mentioned in chapter 8), God had put it on my heart to be respectful and courteous to them. I was reminded that they were of another culture even though they were here before we were. Not having any formal training in mission work, I did what was on my heart. I went to Scripture for directions in how to handle this situation. I learned that I needed to study their culture, be respectful, but not to follow or be a part of anything that is contrary to Scripture.

   I was able to contact the missionary pastor that worked with the people on the reservation and ask her some questions and learn about their culture. Am I glad I did! In my own state of Arizona there were major cultural differences that could have caused serious problems when communicating with them. Armed with knowledge of their culture and the calling to show the love of Jesus in our speech and actions, our trip was a success. This trip kind of set the stage for future missions and the need to learn the culture of those being served.

      In 1997 we moved to Tucson, Arizona. After a while, we found a church home that had a great contemporary service with uplifting music and a lot of praise and worship. As time went by, we noticed there was no missionary work or service to others. The church sent money to missionaries but they did not physically do that sort of thing. Then we noticed the messages were getting a little more liberal as time went on, and many of the messages could not be backed by Scripture! The final straw was when the minister stated one Sunday that he wanted us to consider that Jesus may not be the only way to God. That was our last Sunday there.

      Then we started attending a non-denominational church that better fit our spiritual needsThe messages were good and the praise and worship music was uplifting. They were also involved in mission activities.

PTP; There are times when God sends us thunder to stir us, blessings to lure us, and times of nothing but silence. Be aware of all God’s promptings.

      In November of 2003, a large group of people in our church went on a mission trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, to build houses with the Amor Ministry. Working with my hands is something I love to do and I wanted very much to go; but my wife and I were unable to go. Then in June of 2004 a men’s group that I belong to took the wood from our church Christmas pageant and decided to use it to build a house for an Indian family in Puerto Peñasco. I signed up along with about ten other men. I had been having severe back problems and a few days before the trip I had another attack. I was flat on my back and could not stand up, yet I insisted I was going. Something was driving me (the Holy Spirit) and even if I was not going to be very much help, I was going anyway. A friend was taking his fifth-wheel RV and he offered to let me stay with him instead of sleeping on the ground in a tent. That was a true blessing!

      The three-day trip was very painful except when I was working on the house! While working, I was able to do all the things I needed to do to serve this wonderful family. In the evening and during the night was another story.

      I was hooked. I love history, seeing other parts of the world God has created, helping others in need and working with my hands. I found I could do all of these things in Mexico!

      If this was missionary work, then I was ready. But isn’t missionary work building churches in the jungle or far off deserts, preaching the Word of God to others in a foreign language? Could there be a different kind of mission work that I did not know about? Yes, there can be and is.

      I went to Scripture to find the answers. Nowhere did I find any passages that said you have to be a preacher to do mission work, or that you must go off to places where they have never heard the Word of God. True, there is a need for that type of mission work, but there are also other ways to serve God and do mission work.

      Scripture tells us in Matthew 25: 34-40,

³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

      This Scripture tells me to help strangers, give clothing to the needy, give food and water to those that are hungry, look after the sick, and visit those in prison. It does not tell me to add conditions that they must meet in order to receive the blessings. I am told to serve or minister to them.

     

Scripture also tells me to use whatever gifts I have to serve faithfully, as in 1 Peter 4:10-11,

¹⁰Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

      In 1 Peter 5:2-4 it states,

²Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. This tells me to serve in the right manner and for the right reasons.

      Again in Ephesians 6:7 we are told to serve others wholeheartedly, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” And remember to do it in love.

      In Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

      I am still learning from Scripture, growing in Scripture, and trying to serve in a manner that is pleasing to God so I can hear Jesus say, as in Luke 19:17 “Well done, my good servant!”

      When I returned to Tucson from the house build, I told my wife, “You have to go to Peñasco and check it out. There is much need and a lot of work that can be done with the people and for the Glory of God.”

      We went back about a month later with another couple that had been working with the poor and they were instrumental in introducing us to the local community. Needless to say, my wife was hooked too! God had put it on our hearts to serve the people in Mexico, so we prayed and thought about how we were going to do it. “Start serving,” was the answer and that God would direct us. So we did!

      When we first started going to Mexico it was to get to know the people, community, needs, culture, and how and why they processed things in their minds the way they did. I can’t over-stress the importance of learning the culture of the people you will be working with when doing mission work. If you don’t really know the people and their culture, you stand a good chance of making serious mistakes. Thest mistakes can hinder your work, possible future plans, and adversely affect the missionaries that have established a presence and are already working with the people. Within the first year, we were going to Mexico about every three months and the second year it was every other month.

PTP; The key to spiritusl maturity is to live for Jesus, not because we feel good doing it, but because it is the right thing to do.

      When we first started working with the people and getting to know them, they asked questions and made comments such as, “Why are you here and why are you helping us?”

      Our answer was, “We are Christ-followers and as Christ-followers we are instructed to serve others. We are here to serve as needed.” We asked them, as missionaries, what they wanted from us.

      Their first answer was friendship and commitment. They stated, “We have had too many people coming to Mexico, doing a project or giving out donations, and saying they will come back. Then we never see them again.” We told them we would not be like that and we have been true to our word.

      Yes, we do work projects and we bring many different kinds of donations, however, most importantly, we have built relationships and honored our commitment to come back and be a part of the community. We serve them in the hottest of summers and the coldest of winters. We have eaten food that was surrounded by flies and prepared by unwashed hands. We have cried and prayed with families that have lost their husband and father to the prison system. We have stepped out of our comfort zone and served when needed, not just when it was convenient and comfortable. I am not trying to brag or boost our egos; I’m just stating that when you serve or do mission work, you will do it under any conditions without complaining about it, that is, if it is truly in your heart.

      During the second year of our mission work, juggling traveling to Mexico and taking care of our business was very difficult. Our business, selling printer/copier consumable supplies, was very successful and so was our mission work. Something had to give; our mission work was getting in the way of our business and our business was getting in the way of our mission work! After much thought and prayer the answer was, sell the business. When the answer came to sell the business there was no hesitation, worry about what we would do for money, or even if we could sell the business. The Lord had plans for us and we were determined to follow them.

      The following two Scripture verses helped remind us to have faith and trust in the Lord.

·         Ephesians 3:12, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

·         Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

·         PTP; You are not born qualified, you become qualified.

      We immediately put our business up for sale with a business broker. When we told her what we wanted and the conditions of sale, she stated that it would probably take two years or more to sell our business. There were some concerns about the price because our business did not have very much real property. The only real property was a pick-up truck, two computers, a fax machine, two file cabinets and two desks. But our real selling point was our customer list, the longevity of our customers buying products from us, and our good name and reputation.

      Our business was successful and I know the reason. We practiced God’s principles for life.

·         We were honest and truthful. Proverbs 16:13, “Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.” Our customers appreciated our honesty and truthfulness and it showed by their loyalty.

·         We were able to be the very best we could be and did it gladly. Ephesians:6-7, “Do your work wholeheartedly, work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only man.”

·         Romans 12:3, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.”

·         Romans 12:6-7, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us . . . If it is serving, let him serve.”

      These Scriptures told us to work hard, treat our customers with respect, not to be arrogant, and use the gifts God has given us to serve others (in this case our customers). You can’t go wrong with a code of ethics like that! Well, contrary to what our broker told us, we sold the business in four months! We were then able to go into mission work fulltime.

PTP; You must start where you are and use what you have, then God will give you more. If you are unwilling to move until you get more, you may wait forever.

      That was over four years ago. Serving in the mission field is a blessing, but it can also bring on many challenges and test your faith and how close you walk with the Lord. I have come a long way in the past three years. I have seen many successes, miracles, joys, and sorrows.

·         Built relationships and homes, laughed and argued with the same people.

·         Showed the love of Christ through my actions and also had to ask for forgiveness for sins I committed.

·         Been judged and did not like it, then turned around and judged others.

·         Thought I knew Scripture and then had to correct myself after further study.

·         Thought I knew what was important and then had to realize it is God who knows what is important.

      Through all these experiences, I have learned things that help me stay on track and keep me from being depressed and feeling unworthy.

·         I am saved by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works.” I do not have to earn my reward!

·         Jesus loves me and died for my sins. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

·         I am forgiven. Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. And in 1John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

      What more can I say?

Chapter 10 • Other Religious Influences & Cultural Dynamics.

    When preparing to go on a missions trip or to serve in another culture, different religious beliefs and cultural views should be studied and taken seriously. And even though you may study thoroughly, these differences will probably drive you to pray more than normal for guidance, discernment, patience, and perseverance! You will encounter many things that will be foreign to you as you minister in another country or even right here in the U.S.

      In the spiritual realm, you may find many different denominations and many differences within those denominations themselves! In Mexico, we discovered many people who left Catholicism for the Protestant/Charasmatic faith still carry over a few of the Catholic traditions. You may even find a blend of mainstream worshiping and charismatic gifts in the same service. Some people still have shrines to Mary, the Virgin Mother.

      There also may be deep-rooted history of idol-worshiping, voodoo, devil-worshiping, and many other religious forms and beliefs that are not of our Lord. Whether ministering in another country or our own, these practices must be recognized, acknowledged, confronted, and taken seriously.

      Some view other religions as competition. In Christ there is no competition. In fact, nowhere in Scripture does it say that Christ was exclusive in His ministry. When it comes to healing the sick, droving out demons, or speaking about God’s love, Jesus ministered to everyone—not just His followers and those who believe in Him.

      Actually, when there were complaints that Jesus was hanging around sinners, He made His intentions clear, as told in Mark 2:14-17,

¹⁴As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. ¹⁵While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples:

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” ¹⁷On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

      Jesus went out of his way to visit with and show non-believers respect and love. However, He also told them to go and sin no more.

      As shown in Scripture, Christ makes no mention of competition when  following Him and serving or receiving blessings. However, he does tell us to believe in Him.

·         In Luke 10:27, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and to Love your neighbor as yourself.” This scripture does not mention any requirement regarding our neighbor’s religious preference—if any!

·         In Matthew we are reminded to give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, visit the prisoner, invite strangers in and give clothes to those that need them. Again, no particular religious preference or social standing was required.

·         We are also reminded to live as Christ would have us to live and not to cram our religious beliefs down someone else’s throat. Mark 6:11 tells us “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

      Jesus tells His disciples to give His message in a Christ-like manner and, if not accepted, tells them it is OK to leave. You don’t have to make the commitment “I am going to stay here until they are all converted.” That is not what we’re called to do.

      And remember: When you are talking to people, please do not say anything bad or disrespectful about other churches or religions. If there is a problem with other religions or denominations, God knows about them and will take care of the problem much better than you can. Stick to spreading the Word of Jesus as told by Scripture, without editing it!

      May I suggest to you that when you are discussing other religions, leave personal feelings out of the discussion? Concentrate on truths in the Bible and God’s teachings. And do not belittle, make fun of their teachings or be sarcastic.

Use Scripture to get your point across (in love) and, if they still don’t get it, let it go. Our calling is to spread the good news; if people don’t accept it, that’s between them and God. They will answer to Him, not us.

      There can be, and are, some major arguments between people in our own Protestant faith and even in our own denomination. Is the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday? Is working on the Sabbath forbidden? Is drinking alcohol, wearing make-up or homosexuality a sin? These are just a few of the issues that have caused major rifts within our church from its beginning until now. These questions can and do have the same effect in churches all around the world. I will say again, that it is very important to know the culture to whom you are ministering. Know where they stand on controversial issues both spiritually and socially before you start making comments and discussing the issues. And when you do, have your comments based on Scripture and quote Scripture. Give God’s Word, not yours.

      Another area that has caused many problems is the use of gifts given to us by God. One in particular is the speaking in tongues. There are conflicting arguments even within the churches in the United States, as well as in other countries, as to when and how this gift is used. In some churches in Mexico the speaking of tongues and being slain in the spirit are being abused. Some people believe that if you don’t speak in tongues, you have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit. There have been times when many people attending a service would start speaking in tongues or fall to the floor (being slain in the spirit as it is called) unconscious. The children would see this and then start mocking the procedure. This is not worship, and not using the gifts properly. Our God is a God of order. 1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,”

      To learn more about spiritual gifts and how to use them I would suggest you read 1 Corinthians 12—14 two or three times and study what these chapters are telling you. There is the correct time and place for God’s gifts to be used and it is explained in Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us that all gifts are to be used for the building up of the church, “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”

      However I will say again, please read 1Corinthians 12—14 to get a better understanding of what Scripture tells us (and you must leave out pre-conceived ideas of what you think Scripture is saying).

      Some of the Scripture reads as follows: 1 Corinthians 12,

¹Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. ²You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. ³So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. ⁶God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. ⁷A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. ⁹The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. ¹⁰He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. ¹¹It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

      First Corinthians 14:26 tells us how we should use our gifts, “All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” Then in 14:40 we are also told, “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”

      You must be firm in your faith; if not, the attacks you get will be harder to handle and cause more pain and division than is necessary. I have stated how Satan attempts to trick and tempt us in the chapter on Satan.

Be wary, cultural dynamics.

   In all cultures there are people who work the system (con artists). In a short time they may become your friends and offer all sorts of assistance. They will tell you about the past of certain people in the church or community, the sins people have committed, and who to trust. Their goal is to cause division in the church.

   Be wary of these types of people, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, as they can also do a great deal of harm to your mission. Proverbs 26:22 tells us: “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”

PTP; When you throw mud you don’t just get your hands dirty, you lose ground.

      In Mexico, people are very territorial. If they acquire a piece of land, they will immediately put some type of fence round it. It may be sticks put in the ground every five feet with a string going all the way around the lot, but it will mark their property line. They also have names for the little communities (area of houses) they live in within the city. Pastors can also be territorial. Some feel that people should only go to the church in their neighborhood and, if someone wants to leave the church, they need to come to the pastor and ask permission. While other pastors feel their territory is anywhere their bus goes, and wherever they have a cell group meeting, regardless of distance from their church building. Territory and authority have a lot in common in communities and can also be a vehicle for conflict.

      I can’t say it enough: Know the culture you are serving! If you don’t know the culture and their little nuances, you can be wasting a lot of your time, resources and energy for nothing. Let me give you an example.

      In Mexico (in many areas) if you offer something to someone, they will take it. They will not say “no” even if they don’t want it or need it, or will not use what you offer. They feel it is impolite to refuse a gift. I have seen food that people have donated that will never be eaten because they don’t like it culturally, or may not know what it is (like sauerkraut). Also bags of dirty, ragged clothing that were donated but are in no condition to be worn. So make sure of the cultural etiquette and needs before making donations.

      Get to know and work with the local pastors. When you are comfortable with the pastors and have a mutual respect for each other, give the donations to them so they can distribute them to the people. They know who is poor and who is not, and they know who is working the system.

      There are two other important reasons to let the pastors be the distributors of donations. One is that it helps prevent the local people from getting the notion that when they see a missionary, they can get something. The second one is that it helps to build respect for the pastor as a leader in the eyes of his church and the community.

Not an ego thing, just a respect issue. People can go to the local pastors for help and assistance, not just the missionaries. I have been approached many times in the past and bluntly told, “Give me a dollar,” by children and adults alike! Or, “What do you have for me?” We need to stop this type of notion and enabling, no matter what the culture or where we serve.

      I was told of a woman who had started attending a local evangelical church in Puerto Peñasco in 2005. Someone in the church knew her and had personal knowledge that she was practicing witchcraft. She would also go around to the local churches, start attending, and make friends. She would then attempt to cause dissention between the members. When dissention came, she would invite them to her house and try to convert them to witchcraft. Members of one of the local churches became aware of what she was doing and a small group of Christians went to her house to confront her. When they entered the house and closed the door all of a sudden, and for no reason, huge flames shot out of the wood burning stove that she had to provide heat (it was winter). They confronted her with the information they had about her past and what she was trying to do. I don’t know the exact outcome of the meeting but I do know she stopped going to churches in Peñasco.

      High in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, there is today a tribe of Indians that still clings to the old ways. They will not accept any white missionaries into their village (if they come, they will be put to death), they are almost naked in their way of dress, and they still sacrifice two children a year to please their gods. I used to find it hard to imagine anything like this going on in the twenty-first century, but not any more!

      In Mark 13:5, Jesus reminds us not to be fooled. Jesus said to His disciples, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

      As I mentioned, there may even be people in the church who will try to deceive you and cause dissention. Paul states in Galatians that false teachers infiltrated their ranks. Galatians 2:4- 5,

⁴This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

      Be cautious; and whatever you do, do in love.

      Most importantly, remember John 14:6, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And hold on to the other truths in our Bible.

Holy Spirit: One of Three Persons of God

     Another thing you need to consider and study is the Holy Spirit. I don’t know about other countries but I do know that in the United States and Mexico there are religious groups that rely extremely heavily on the Holy Spirit in all aspects of their worship and practice some things that are questionable that involve the Holy Spirit. It would be beneficial to study Scripture and learn about the Holy Spirit. That way you will be able to know what is of Scripture and what is not when confronted by questionable activities. The information below is some of what I have gleaned from Scripture on the Holy Spirit. But don’t stop there, continue to study, read and pray in your quest to understand the power of the Holy Spirit.

      The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some people have a hard time understanding that. The Bible tells us there is only one God. However many Scriptures talk about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and at different times depending on the circumstances. This can be confusing!

      Maybe these examples will help understand the concept of three in one. Take water—H₂O. Water is water, right? Yes, it is; but it is also three things in one. It can be liquid, frozen as ice or boiled as steam. It has three different functions depending on the need and circumstances.

      How about the egg? It is an egg, one thing. It is also three things in one. The shell, yoke and the white. One thing comprised of three parts that have three different functions, again depending on the needed circumstances.

      In this study we will discuss the Holy Spirit. One of three persons of God.

      The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of God and is totally equal to the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit has its purpose in the trinity of God. Though “the trinity” is not mentioned in the Bible, it is a name given to God—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—by man.

      Below are characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Study the Scriptures I have listed with each characteristic. Then go to the Bible and discover other Scriptures that back up or solidify the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. List what you have come up with.

·         Emotional. Romans 15:30, “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”

·         Intellectual. 1 Corinthians 2:11, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”2 Peter 1:21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

·         Personal guide. John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

·         Counselor/teacher. John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

·         Living in Us. 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”2 Timothy 1:14, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”

·         Powerful. Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

·         Gives direction. Romans 8:14, “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

·         Supportive. Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”Mark 13:11, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

·         Eternal. Hebrews 9:14, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

      Also, the Holy Spirit is both a blessing and a gift to us.

·         Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

·         Romans 5:5, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

·         Acts 10:45, “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.”

·         1 Thessalonians 4:8, “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

·         Hebrews 2:4, “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

      After reading and studying about the Holy Spirit you might come up with some questions. They probably could be an entire study on their own so you may not want to try and figure them out right now. List the questions you might have and compare them with the ones I thought of below.

·         Is the time of the receiving of the Holy Spirit up to debate?

·         Does the Holy Spirit tell you what to do?

·         Will the Holy Spirit force his opinions on you?

·         When do you get the Holy Spirit?

·         What do you do with the Holy Spirit when you get it?

      I want to caution you, you may have more questions than you can find answers for and you may not understand the answers when you get them. Don’t be confused. Just remember that God is in control, the Holy Spirit will guide you and direct you (if you allow Him to). You do not have to have all the answers. Just have faith and continue to study the Scriptures and grow as a Christ-follower. This, I think, will please God.

      I have very strong feelings against the misuse of Scripture when it comes to speaking in tongues, being slain in the Spirit (which is not mentioned in the Bible), and other charismatic beliefs. I feel that many times people twist Scripture around to make it seem like what they are doing is from Scripture or they ignore Scripture all together. These actions glorify themselves and are for their own edification. All contrary to Scripture! We are to edify Christ! Ephesians 4:12, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

      This is all I have to say about this subject. But, I urge you to study Scripture, the culture of when and where Scripture was presented and what was the writer meaning to say. If Scripture backs up what your opinion is, then you are on the right track. If not, don’t have any part of it.

Chapter 11 • Attitude—How’s Yours?

It’s a good time to talk about the servant’s attitude. Get the right attitude and don’t change it! What type of attitude did you have in your secular life? Were you a good listener or did you know it all? Were you compassionate or did you put the blame on others for their own problems? How about generosity? Did you earn what you have and expect everyone to do the same? Now that you are a Christ-follower what do you think your attitude is right now? Have you checked Scripture and compared your attitude to what Scripture states it should be?

      As I’ve written before, Jesus asks us to do more than just believe; He wants action from us. We have already talked about the physical type of action Jesus requires; now I will talk about mental action that is required. I see attitude as the result of a mental action. When it needs correcting or aligning, we take mental action to straighten it out. Jesus requires us to have a right attitude.

PTP; If you aren’t teachable, having talent won’t help you. If you can’t be flexable, having a goal won’t help you either.

      Our attitude should be one of love, compassion, fellowship, tenderness and humility. We should be unselfish, not conceited, and consider the interests of others. Also, we can’t leave out 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in you.” Thankfulness, or the lack of it, forms a big part of a person’s attitude.

      I feel receiving God’s blessing is greatly affected by the attitude in our heart. If the attitude in our heart is out of step with God, how are we to receive God’s blessing and how can we be a blessing to others? To help us keep our attitude right, we need to understand God’s will. It will help us stay on the right path and follow His will. His will should always be an important part in our journey.

PTP; God desires that our lives be motivated by our genuine heartfelt devotion to Him.

      I have a prime example of how a mission project can start out with the best of intentions and motives.

Then, when a problem arises, the project can deteriorate because some people let the wrong attitude creep into their hearts because they did not take the time to learn about the culture they were working in.

      My wife Lucy and I had been working with a local pastor in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico to build an office that would house a free clinic. The office was built and our team (Manos de Dios volunteers) adopted the project to paint the exterior of the building and completely finish off the interior (wiring, drywall, ceiling, etc.). The first day was great, we made progress and all went well. On the second day of construction, the person that had the keys to the building did not arrive at the work site at the appointed time. He was a dedicated supporter of our mission work in Peñasco and had personal relationships with some of the local people.

      There were about 20 of us there, and after an hour of standing in front of the building with nothing to do, I could see differences between the people in our group. It was as clear as black and white. The people whose attitudes were right with their heart and had taken the time to study the cultural handout material I had given them were relaxed and in what I call the “no problem” mode. Hey, we are in Mexico!

      Others in the group were a different story. The grumbling that had started 15 minutes after the time we were supposed to start turned into a full-out rant. I tried to explain to them, again, that this is Mexico. Whatever we get done is a blessing to the people and they will appreciate it! And when we are in Mexico, we work on Mexico time and schedule. I also reminded them that there was probably a very good reason for the man to be late.

      There was also a lot of advice given as to how I could have done a better job of organizing this work project, how much more work could have been accomplished had we started on time, people should have been more responsible, and so on.

      The two wayward volunteers and the keys finally showed up 90 minutes after the scheduled starting time with a very good reason. A brother in Christ had contacted my friend and asked him to come over and pray with and for him. We who serve in Mexico do not pass up the opportunity to pray with and help a brother or sister in need. He did what the Lord called him to do.

He was OK with it, I was OK with it, and so were the people that had the right attitude in their hearts and knew the culture. This incident caused some major problems between members of our group and some do not go on work projects anymore.

      I find that being a missionary/servant and coordinating work projects, or any mission activity for that matter, is a little like being a coach.

      A coach has to know all the rules of the game they are playing. A missionary has to know the rules of the country they are serving in, they also have to know the cultural rules—community nuances—safety and travel regulations and know a brief religious history of the area in which they are serving. A coach also has to use the players best suited for the position they are in. A missionary has to do the same thing. As the coordinator you must know your volunteers and their talents. Then you place the volunteers in a situation that is best suited for their talents to be fully utilized for the glory of God.

      For example, Lucy and I go to Peñasco in July and August when it is in the high nineties and the humidity is in the high eighties. If we take volunteers during those months, we have the people who can stand the heat and humidity work with us outside; and people who can’t, would possibly work in the air-conditioned trailer sorting and packaging clothes for donations.

      When looking at the big picture, the coach will do what’s best and this will cause some people to be unhappy. Same with a missionary. A missionary/servant is called by God to act on His behalf and to do His bidding. God knows the big picture and expects the missionaries to follow His lead.

      As facilitators, when we don’t take our volunteers’ advice, or ask them to do something other than what they wanted to do, it can result in unhappy volunteers—if their heart attitude is not in the right place! It is our responsibility (in a manner that is OK with God) to direct and lead volunteers toward the mission that He has put before us.

PTP; If you have an attitude of ingratitude, then the good news is that you can change.

      The principles we live by are in direct relation to our attitude. Think about this: see if you can find people who live by these principals:

·         They know God personally.

·         They know His commands.

·         They know what He wants them to do.

·         They are devoted to and worship God with all their heart.

·         They willingly serve God.

·         They are faithful.

·         They don’t get discouraged easily.

      When you find them, I bet they are Christ-followers and have a Christ-like attitude in all they do!

      On the other hand, the book of Proverbs tells us the danger of an attitude of pride. It shows there are seven things God hates and that are detestable to Him. Proverbs 6:16-19:

·         Haughty eyes

·         A lying tongue

·         Hands that shed innocent blood

·         A heart that devises wicked schemes

·         Feet that are quick to rush to evil

·         A false witness who pours out lies

·         And a man who stirs up dissention among brothers

      Have you heard the song or heard the statement “They will know we are Christians by our love?” That statement is true, as I can attest to, and I am sure many of you have shown people that you are a Christian by your love.

      I am not trying to be prideful but I have an example of where my attitude and actions were observed and remarked on. I am happy those remarks were positive.

      While working for IBM in Austin, Texas, I met and became friends with two men in our department. These two men were not with the in-crowd in the department. They were not good-looking and their clothes were kind of shabby. Not cool, at that time. Being a Christ-follower, I did not judge them by their looks or what they wore. I was having lunch with them one day when I was asked, “Are you a Christian?” When I answered, “Yes, why do you ask?” they responded, “We thought so. You talk to us and are friendly. The other guys don’t and we know they are not Christians.” I thanked them for the compliment and have remembered that incident (which was about 22 years ago) to this day. So I have proof that attitude counts and is visible to those around you.

      Proverbs, chapter 10—28, also tells us how to succeed in God’s eyes and that success and a good reputation are a result of wise living:

·         righteousness (10:7, 12:3, 28:12)

·         hate what is false (13:5)

·         Committing all your work to the Lord (16:3)

·         be even tempered and controlling the tongue (17:27-28)

·         love wisdom and understanding (18:8)

·         be humble and fear the Lord (22:4)

·         be willing to repent (28:13)

      Again, all these things are directly involved in your attitude. If they are imbedded in your attitude in a positive way, you will be blessed and successful in God’s eyes. If your attitude is lacking these, you may be successful in man’s eyes, but not in the eyes of the Lord.

      Philippians 2 is the chapter on imitating Christ’s humility. In this chapter Paul gives us some guidelines on attitude. With these guidelines we can compare our attitude and see where we stand. It also shows how Jesus modeled it for us as He lived. Philippians 2:1-7:

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness or care, ²then make my joy complete.

Be of the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but instead in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be exploited, ⁷but made himself nothing, emptied himself taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

      Be sure to remember your attitude of gratitude daily!

PTP; Forgiveness is not limited by the amount of sin, but our willingness to repent.

      My last comment on the attitude chapter could also be put in chapters eight, nine or ten, so as you read of this account think back and see where it would be applicable in those areas.

      One April we were visiting a pastor in Mexico for whom we had built a home a few years earlier. The house sat empty for a while, then another pastor lived in it, then it became a church, then the original pastor moved into it. Then a church building was built next to it and then a second floor was put on the church, so it has accumulated a lot of history in just a short time.

      Anyway, this pastor was going to have a program for children celebrating Dia de los Niños (Mexican Day of the Child). We were able to provide him with some articles that would be helpful and asked if we could come by that Saturday and see his program. A few days before the program he advised us that a church from the United States wanted to come and do a program for the children on the Day of the Child (he had worked with them once before). They wanted to put on their program, also have a program for adults, and be in control of all the programs, games and messages. As in their culture, the pastor agreed to it and gave control to the American church members that were coming.

      When my wife and I arrived to observe the program, the first thing my wife did was to introduce us to the people in charge and tell them we are friends of the pastor and that we just wanted to observe. The children were sitting at tables not doing much of anything while the Americans discussed what to do next. While we were there, it did not get much better than that.

      The activities seemed unorganized, not something the Mexican children were interested in very much, and not culturally sensitive. The older kids played Tic Tac Toe: two children played while eight others watched. And the little kids were put in a room with a bunch of toys and were just playing as they wanted to.

      The women in the group were friendly and smiling, while the lone male in charge was a different story. He was not friendly, did not have a smile on his heart or lips and would not stop for a second so we could introduce ourselves.

      As we were coming out of the building he bumped into my wife and did not even acknowledge that she was there, say “Excuse me” or move forward so she could pass. I did say something to him earlier and he never responded to my conversation. Lucy and I were very disappointed in the actions of this man and his insensitivity to the Mexican pastor and the children. He was not a good reflection of a missionary, an American, or a Christ-follower. He was leaving the next day and might not come back for another year. In the meantime, the missionaries that live and work daily with the people of the area will have to deal with all the negativity he passed on to all the adults and children who observed his actions.

      Personally, if I were to make a judgment call, I would say that his attitude was all wrong. It seemed he was there for himself, to do his mission work, and to help those poor children of Mexico by putting on his program (the pastor had no idea what they were going to do until they got there). From what I read in Scripture, that is not how you serve. He will be accountable for his attitude, as it states in Hebrews 4:12-13,

¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

      Upon further conversation with the pastor we learned of his disappointment and the fact that he will never do this type of program again. He also agreed that it was not an appropriate program for his church.

      At other times, I have seen local Mexican pastors who are teaching the Word on unity be divisive and not in unity with the community, American missionaries who think they know what is best when they do not, even missionaries that will not speak to other missionaries. What kind of message is that sending to whoever is watching them? Then there are Mexican prophets who come into a town and give messages of doom instead of lifting and building up the church, as it tells us to in 1 Corinthians 14:3, “But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”

      Poor attitude has no boundaries. Anyone can have it, pastors, missionaries, church members, non-believers, and also me on occasion. The good news about having a poor attitude is that it is not fatal. We can be cured if we take the right prescription, and that is God’s Word. He tells us how to be cured but it’s up to us to read and follow the directions!

PTP; God will go a long way to get someone’s attention.

      Matthew 15:7-10 tells us,

⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ⁸These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁹They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. ¹⁰Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean.

      What does this Scripture tell you? It tells me that if I don’t watch my attitude I can become like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, honoring God with my lips and not with my actions. I also think that our attitude is visible from the words we say and how we say them. Many things affect our attitude and how other people see us.

      If we have an attitude of forgiveness, holiness, and humility, we will be OK.

      As for me, I think I will be working on the above for the rest of my life.

                             Chapter 12 • Pride

In November of 2009 I wrote an article on pride for my blog. Since I started writing this book I have seen how pride gets in the way of what God is calling us to do and the way He wants us to do it. While thinking about and researching pride I discovered that there are two types of pride and that pride can be good! Also, pride, good and bad, plays a major role in our lives and how we act. I don’t know why, but I have been distracted from working on and completing this book for a few months. Maybe it was because I was supposed to add my research on pride? With that thought in mind I decided to include it. I left it the way I entered it on my blog, however after reading the information I think you will see how it fits into serving our Lord and its importance. Below is my message on pride.

Is all pride bad?

    Why do so many people, including Christians, tell us that pride is bad? Pride has been given a bad name and I think we should look at pride in a different light. Matthew 15:11 tells us “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” In the message below I try to discuss the good and the bad side of pride as it relates to Scripture. How we handle our pride is how it is seen by others. The question to all of us is, what does Jesus think about the pride we show in our lives and is He pleased with what He sees?

Pride, the good and the bad.

    Pride—we all have it and/or want it sometime in our life. All too often pride has been given a bad name. To have pride or be prideful often connects us with being arrogant or conceited. However, pride does have a good side.

      There are two types of pride:

·         Pride that God hates. Proverbs 8:13, “Too fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”

·         And the good pride. Galatians 6:4, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.”

      Solomon, (who wrote Proverbs) was the wisest king that ever ruled Israel and he hated pride and spoke of it.

      For the past few thousand years, society has probably been inundated with people giving people advice. In Solomon’s time I bet they had their own type of Dr. Phils and talk-show-type people giving advice on every subject, especially on religion. As in today’s giving of advice, there was often a lack of wisdom in their words and probably a lot of self-righteous pride. When Solomon wrote, he added wisdom to his words and showed how the knowledge of God was needed to blend and rule human life to complete it. And we can do this without being prideful.

      The sinful pride is self-righteous and hinders us from God. Anything that keeps us from Him, God hates. Psalm 10:4, “In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” If we are prideful we could also say, in his self-centeredness, that man can carry his own burden and does not need God! The proud can do it all themselves. Some of the proud are so focused on who and what they are they feel they don’t need God. The proud could even have the notion that they deserve God’s acceptance because of their accomplishments. How wrong they are!

      And then there is the good kind of pride we feel about something we have accomplished (without arrogance), the pride others have in us and the kind of pride we have in God. The good pride is the opposite of the self-centered and self-righteous pride of the wicked. Matthew 5:3 states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who are the poor in spirit? They are those of us that are broken and know the way to please God is by admitting our brokenness accepting His grace, something we could never earn. And blessed are those of us who share the ultimate joy of knowing we are saved and in the kingdom of God.

      Jesus gave us a new set of values, as we read in the Beatitudes, which are in conflict with many of the values the world has set. If we truly believe in Him and want to let Jesus rule our lives, then the Beatitudes make sense and we will strive to follow them. If we do this, Jesus and others can and will take pride in who we are.

      When Paul wrote Galatians, he brought up the point that we can have Godly pride. When we carry our own load and seek God’s approval and receive it, we can be proud. This is Godly pride and not the type we get from our own strength and actions. Galatians 6:4, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.” Here the Apostle Paul talks about the pride in personal responsibility.

That is OK as long as you don’t compare yourself with or to someone else. James 1:9, “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.” James is talking about the people that society may be overlooking because they are not wealthy or have a high position. God, however, puts them in high esteem. Also, they should be happy because they do not have the burdens that go along with high positions.

      James 1:10, “But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.” Now James is reminding the rich to be glad that money does not have a hold on them as it does in the unbeliever’s life. God reminds us that money is easily lost! In both of the above Scriptures we find that true wealth is to develop your spiritual life and walk with the Lord. Money can be lost in an instant while salvation is forever.

      Second Corinthians 7:4, “I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” Here, Paul is talking about another type of good pride, pride that other people have in someone because of their actions. In 2 Corinthians he is proud of the church because they were beginning to mature in their faith.

      In Daniel 4:36-37 we read about Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king, strong and powerful, who was humbled and brought to his knees by God. He learned the lesson of walking in human pride.

³⁶At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

      Have we learned any lessons brought on by our human pride? Do we need to look back and discover the lessons we should have learned?

      Good pride is formed in and by God’s grace. We can and should be proud that we are formed in His image and have inherited self-esteem brought on by the grace from God. We are also justified and redeemed through Christ, other things to be proud of. It is when we become selfish, arrogant, self-assured and proud of our accomplishments, generated by us and with our own power, that the wrong type of pride seeps into our lives and gives pride and us a bad name.

      Pride that others have in us is also a good thing. It means our works or actions have been seen by our peers and have been acknowledged. But even this kind of pride can be harmful if we let it go to our heads. We need to be sure to remain humble when others are proud of us. Pride has kept me from saying “I’m sorry,” admitting I was wrong, saying “I love you,” saying “You have hurt me,” saying “I am confused” and a host of other worldly negative traits Satan has been able to trick me into following. What has pride stopped you from doing?

            Additional Scripture on pride for you to consider:

·         Isaiah 25:11, “They will spread out their hands in it, as a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.”

·         Ezekiel 7:24, “I will bring the most wicked of the nations to take possession of their houses; I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.”

·         Ezekiel 24:21, “Say to the house of Israel, ‘this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’”

·         Daniel 5:20, “But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.”

·         Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’”

·         Zechariah 10:11, “They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.”

·         2 Corinthians 7:4, “I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”

(This is the end of the message on pride.)

      As for pride when you are serving, you have to be very careful. People will be watching you, believers and nonbelievers alike. They will listen to what you say, how you act and the way you respond to situations. If you are a Christ-follower, you want to represent Jesus in the light He would approve of. You have a great power and can influence people you may never meet. And prayerfully it will be a positive influence. So act accordingly.

      Pride can and will bring you down if the wrong type of pride lives in you. It has brought down people in the Bible such as:

·         The great Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar; he suffered from the sin of pride and lost his kingdom for it. (He was redeemed when he repented of his sin.)

·         Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson knew of his grandfather’s rebuke, refused to learn his grandfather’s lesson and was slain.

·         King Uzziah turned prideful and disobeyed God, as a result, God struck him with leprosy, and it stayed with him the rest of his life.

      As we serve, we need to be very careful when things are going great, God is blessing us and we are helping to bring people to the Lord. Those are the times Satan will be whispering in your ear and trying to bring out the boasting pride in you that we are to resist. Another time will be when the local people you have helped are so appreciative they almost worship you and all you have done. Or they lift you up and put you on a pedestal, however if you are not careful you may start thinking you are something more than you are!

      When these things start happening, turn to God in prayer and read Scripture that will help you handle the evils of pride.

PTP; Pride keeps me from seeing the real me when I look in the mirror.

                  Chapter 13 • Our Beginning in Mexico

Our first mission activities in Mexico were assisting a local church in Puerto Peñasco. We had been working with them for about eight months. On Saturday mornings, the pastor and members of his church would gather at the church and serve a meal to the children and their parents (unfortunately, mostly mothers). Then there would be a message for the kids and some crafting. There was also a program for the adults. Once we brought down a team from our church in Tucson to provide the food and prepare the meal for everyone so the local volunteers could have a day off and be served themselves. When we were there, Lucy and I would participate in the manner we’re called to. Lucy usually helped in the kitchen with the other ladies, preparing the food and chatting (charlar in Spanish). I, on the other hand, would go out into the yard area to play with the children.

      In the beginning, the church was poor and did not have a lot of financial help, so supplies were limited. I remember one time we (the kids and I) were standing there not knowing what to do (there must have been about 30 kids). We did not have any Frisbees or balls to toss around or a soccer ball to kick. I had an idea (which some say I am full of)! I found a rag and rolled it into a ball then I got some duct tape and started wrapping it around the cloth and made a homemade softball. That was all we needed! We lined up on two sides and just started throwing the ball back and forth. What a good time we had. The mothers on the sidelines were amazed and happy we were having so much fun with something as simple as a rag with tape around it. I love children and will play with them, hug them, and work with them every chance I get.

      Another Saturday morning, after playing with the kids, I was very tired and stopped to go into the shade by the church and rest. I smiled and said blessings (in my limited Spanish) to those who were sitting in the shade, many of them holding small babies. Out of nowhere, a mother walked up to me, with her baby screaming at the top of his lungs, and just handed me this tiny infant! I smiled and took him in my arms to comfort him. She turned around and walked away. There I was, standing there with this crying infant and being watched by a dozen mothers. I just did what I was supposed to. I talked to the baby and rocked him gently.

The women just sat there and smiled at me. About fifteen minutes later, the baby’s mother returned, took her baby and said, “Thank you.”

      I didn’t mind holding the baby, but the whole incident was confusing to me. Why had she given her baby to me, a stranger not speaking her language, and not to one of the women sitting there? After the incident, I asked one of my Mexican friends what had just happened. He said it was an honor to be handed the baby. The mother did not know me personally and had not even talked to me, but she trusted me. She had seen the smile on my heart and the way I treated people; that was enough to know about me and that I could be trusted. I received a wonderful gift and I could not have been happier.

      Telling this story was a long way to make a point, but it is an important one. Remember, I said people would watch you to see how you act? Well, this incident puts it all into perspective. They had been watching me and I didn’t even know it.

PTP; We may not know the meaning of every event in our lives, but we know that every event is meaningful and we are significant.

      When you embark on your calling, don’t try to do everything at once or try to do too many things. Take your time; you will not run out of things to do. There will always be people who need clothes, shelter, food, a doctor, and a friend to pray with.

·         Ephesians 6:7 tells us how to serve: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”

·         1 Peter 4:10 reminds us not to try to do things that are not our gifts: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

·         1 Peter 4:11 tell us why to serve: “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

·         And 1 Peter 5:2-3,

²Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve, ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

      To serve effectively, in God’s eyes, there are many things that must come together. Your gifts, talents, calling, heart, prayer life, and support group must all be on the same page (to put it in today’s terms). Everything must work in unison. Notice I did not say, “work in harmony,” because you will have problems and not always be in harmony. Being new to the missionary field, that was a challenge for us.

PTP; To reach your goal, you will have to go through storms, and storms will reveal how well you know God.

      Our first year in Mexico was spent getting to know the people and learning the culture, as I said earlier. We did small things like pray with and for the local people. We brought donations of clothes, food, and household items. We helped with children’s programs at local churches. We provided the food and did the cooking and serving at outreach programs put on by local pastors in the community. We also built a small office for the Women’s Rehabilitation Center.

      You never know how one incident can change your life. I have had many such incidents since I have been serving in Mexico.

      One incident in particular occurred a few years ago on a Saturday morning as we were building the office for the Rehabilitation Center. It rarely rains in Peñasco but it did that day. No one in our group brought rain gear, so we had to stop at the local (and only large) supermarket. I bought large plastic trash bags to put over our heads so we could at least keep the top part of our clothing dry.

When we got there, we saw that the local men had poured the slab and we were ready to build the office. Being cold and wet, the few women and children living at the Center stayed indoors that morning.

      Later on in the day, after the rain stopped, a young woman and her three children came out to see what we were doing. They were quiet and shy and stayed off in the background. But with me around, that didn’t last for long! In a very short time I was trying to get to know the three beautiful children. (Remember: I don’t speak Spanish!) There was a little girl about three years old, a boy about five and another girl about nine. The building crew was doing fine and did not need me for a while, so I took the opportunity to start a relationship. I played with the kids and learned their names and how old they were.

      I always carry a snack box in the back of my truck for occasions just like this. Nothing brings a smile to a child’s face quicker than a snack. I offered them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on a tortilla, not bread) and fruit juice. They eagerly accepted my offer and enjoyed the meal.

      I think my snack box is an important part of our mission work. It usually contains peanut butter, crackers, pretzels, peanuts, 100% fruit snacks, and small bags of chips, bottled water, and 100% fruit juice. Once in a while we will have some candy. Offering a snack and a beverage to whomever is hungry and thirsty is a blessing in many ways. It immediately gives them nourishment and liquids, provides me with an opportunity to break bread with them (sometimes I also have a snack), lets them know that there are people that are truly interested in them, and it is a great way to start a relationship.

PTP; Before othere will be attracted to Christ, they must first see Him working in you life. If the shoes you are wearing don’t look very comfortable, why would they want to put them on?

      Now back to the children. Over the past four years we have built a loving relationship with that family. Lucy and I were asked to be their Padrinos (God parents) and we accepted with honor. We were able to help keep the children in school, provide food and clothing when times were rough, and helped care for them when they were sick. And they love us as much as we love them.

PTP; No matter where you go, you take your attitude with you.

      The family had previously gone to church, but had fallen away at this time. Going to church or not has no bearing on whether or not we love them and will provide care for them. The Bible does not tell us to love only Christians or people that go to church regularly. Mark 12:31 states, “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

      When we first started our calling in a new area it was like opening a door and going into a room full of people that you don’t know, who have a very different culture than you, and live in conditions unfamiliar to you. We are in their country, so it is up to us to make the cultural adjustments and try to fit in, not them. To top it off, they are all looking and watching us! That first trip or visit it can be very scary as you pass through that door. It was for us.

      If you are truly called to serve, you will know it. You may be afraid, but you will be secure in your fear. You will know that God has a plan and a purpose; your strength will come from the Lord and you will, at the same time, have peace in your heart. As we did.  

Chapter 14 • Things with which You Will Struggle

    This is going to be the toughest chapter because it will include some of the personal things that Lucy and I struggle with and that have caused dissention.

      There may be (or will be to most of us) some things that come up concerning your faith, the faith level of your spouse, the differences in what you believe and the level of impact others have on you and your spouse (if you have one). There will be less dissention as long as you both basically believe the same and have the same view of Scripture. However, when you don’t, it can create a world of problems.

      Around the world there are many different things that have been woven into the fabric of the traditional Christian faith. I’m talking about things like Charismatic and Pentecostal beliefs and worship styles infused with old habits learned from witchcraft, devil worship, pagan rituals, the Catholic faith and other mystical teachings (sometimes taken to the extreme) and we can’t forget about the influence of New Age teachings. You also need to consider family traditions that may conflict with Scripture, the Muslim faith that believes in the (supposedly) same Old Testament God as we do, Buddhism, Hinduism and other Far East religions.

      No matter where you serve and spread the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ you are going to have many outside influences affecting what people believe, practice and how they worship. This in turn will affect how you relate to them and maybe even influence your beliefs and actions.

      To begin with, I will talk about my wife and me and our differences. When we first started in our ministry in Mexico we were standard run-of-the-mill Christians. We loved praise and worship songs, especially those that caused hand clapping and toe tapping. We never thought too much about the Holy Spirit and how it was working in our lives, the speaking in tongues or signs and wonders.

   When we started worshiping in Mexico that all changed. We were opened to a totally new way of worshiping and praising and it got more intense as we visited more churches and different denominations. At first everything seemed “normal” (as what we would call normal worshiping) but with a more intense and responsive style of singing. This we loved. There is something uplifting about being in a group of people that are happy, joyous, raising their hands to the Lord as they sing His praises.

      As we became friends with the locals and Americans that live in Mexico and go to church, we became accepted. People began to talk more openly about their faith and what they believed. The messages were strong and to the point on how we should live most of the time (messages that need to be spoken more often in the States!). Some people talked about two spiritual baptisms, regular baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit where you receive gifts of the Holy Spirit. Other comments were about being slain in the Spirit where you lose consciousness and fall backwards (because you are totally immersed in the Spirit is what I am told) and being given gifts by another person. And then there are the traveling prophets that come to local churches. They tell you of the good things that are in store for you and then take a financial love offering. It makes no difference that the words of the prophet only come to pass part of the time, people still believe in them and their words. And there is more but it would serve no purpose in commenting further.

      This is where some of the conflict comes in. After studying Scripture and with the information I learned, I do not believe separate baptisms, being slain in the spirit, healing over the TV, raising the dead and the current wave of prophets that are traveling around and spreading their message. Lucy, on the other hand, is in favor of some of it or at least a little open-minded concerning some of their beliefs. This difference has caused us some problems. I am a little skeptical and believe in following Scripture that states “Test everything,” and I do. Lucy has a mercy heart and doesn’t see things as black and white as I do. We are working it out with the Lord’s help and we are trying to discover the true meaning of what Scripture states. My not accepting some of these beliefs has caused some distance between some of our friends and there are times when I am left out of conversations.

      A growing number of churches in Mexico are charismatic and some are charismatic to the extreme. A few of the extreme beliefs include:

·         That people are transported from one place to another by God. For example, that you can learn to go from your city to China, minister to others and then come back—physically traveling through the air!

·         That in modern times, people have been taken to heaven and then come back to Earth.

·         That people can lay their hands on you and give you a gift from God. Usually people want and are given the gift of tongues—the least of the gifts Jesus and Paul talked about.

      I must state that I do not buy into the extremes. I think, many times, people twist Scripture to fit what they want to believe because it is something they enjoy or want to experience. For example, when it comes to speaking in tongues, Scripture does say there was speaking in tongues (of known languages). However, some claim there is another “tongues” involving utterances that even the speakers do not understand. So some people “speak in tongues” when praying in a group, listening to a message, or speaking in church. The problem I have with that is that they don’t follow Scripture. Scripture states unless you have an interpreter, do not speak in tongues when other people are around. First Corinthians 14:28, “If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.”

      There are Scriptural rules to prophesying, but they are not followed either. And another example of twisting Scripture is the belief that all drinking is a sin, but none who say this can quote a Scripture that makes this commandment.

      Some of these things use to bother me immensely and caused a lot of confusion. However, a friend (and my former pastor) gave me some advice, “Pick and choose the hills you are willing to die on carefully.” I took his advice and this has helped, but I still struggle with the serious violations of Scripture that some people are making.

      OK, now that I have informed you there will be serious differences between us and those we serve (maybe even your spouse), you must decide which ones you’re willing to tackle (which hills you’re willing to die on!) and the steps you will take to handle them.

      There are several steps that can be taken:

·         Talk to the people espousing these beliefs and ask where Scripture backs up the belief.

·         Do not associate with that person (or church) anymore.

·         Put together messages and studies doing what Scripture tells us to do, “test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). Make sure whatevert you say is from Scripture. This will not eliminate all the problems you will face—nothing ever will—but it may help.

      Jesus does not say it will be easy to follow Him, but He does tell us it will be worth it!

      I have added to this chapter a message I wrote on Understanding the Bible. It may be helpful to you in the face of “what does this Scripture mean” questions or even questions you have yourself. Below is that message.

Understanding the Bible

¹⁴Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. ¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

      In these verses, Paul is urging Timothy to remind fellow believers not to argue about unimportant details of Scripture. But how do you know what to argue about. If we are going to discuss, we need to know Scripture and its truth. Verse 15 clearly tells us to accurately handle or know the “word of truth” that He gives us. To accurately handle the truth we need to study it so that we know what it means!

      We, as workmen, need to build our lives on His truths. Studying constantly and learning His truths show God how we are building our lives for Him. If we don’t study and learn His Word and how to live, we can be easily tricked, swayed and neglect Him and the true purpose of living for Him.

      How do we learn the accurate truths when there are so many different people telling us their version of what the Bible Says? I don’t have a positive answer for you or myself. I just know that there are some things I need to take into account when studying so I will accurately understand Scripture.

                                                     How Scripture Is Used

    Scripture was presented to us so we can know the word of truth. But that is not the only way it is presented. Cults and false religions use it to justify what they teach and others simply misinterpret it out of the lack of knowledge and understanding.

Some people even know Scripture, how and why it is presented and because of their own stubbornness, refuses to believe certain things that are contrary to their own personal beliefs. Then there are others that feel the Bible has no clear meaning and it is up to the individual to sort it out on their terms, it is a good guide book so to speak. The above are false and deadly assumptions. The Bible is not up to interpretation. Second Timothy 3:16, makes this clear; “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

                                             Do we need to get it right?

    In Luke 24:25-27, just after His resurrection, Jesus is speaking to some of His followers on the road to Emmaus,

²⁵He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

      One of Jesus first post-resurrection acts was to explain Scripture so His followers would get it right. We need to get it right, too!

      Failure to interpret Scripture properly is cause for destruction, as stated in 2 Peter 3:15-16,

¹⁵Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

      Peter reminds us through his words that the better we know Jesus (His teachings) the harder it will be to succumb to false teachings.

      There is another element we have to consider: We must love the truth so much that we will accept it even when it is not what we expected or hoped for. On the road to Emmaus the disciples were still confused about what had happened so Jesus explained it to them—things they had not hoped for or expected!

                                                    So how do we start?

Consider the context of what is said.

      Suppose you never heard of or saw the movie The Grapes of Wrath or ever read the book. Then someone comes along and reads to you a sentence or even a small paragraph of that book. How much would you be able to understand about the entire book, the era written or the author’s purpose and meaning? You wouldn’t understand very much I suspect. The Bible is no different. If we pick it up and just read portions of it without reading the entire message, how can we say we know what the Scriptures mean?

      The different books and Scriptures are not disconnected with each other. They rely on each other, explain and prove what is being recorded. We need to take the information and study it as Scripture, learn the Jewish background of the Bible, the cultural norms of society, the culture of God and remember the meanings of words were quite different today than they were some 2,000 years ago. We must also remember the Bible is full of textual, literal and historical information and we must take that into consideration. If we start to put all these factors together, Scripture makes sense. However, many people never go as far as to start this process and thus misinterpret Scripture.

      Another thing we must do is look at the books differently (such as the gospels, epistles and history) as we read and study. Other things that help us understand Scripture are the knowledge of the geography, politics of the day, and customs of other people that interacted with the Jews.

      For example Saul consulted the witch of Endor and Samuel was summoned (1 Samuel 28:7-16). It does not mean that the Bible endorses those who practice such things. As we read on, the Bible forbids this practice (Deuteronomy 18:10). The passage in 1 Samuel gives us the historical record of Saul’s sin. The teaching section of the Bible tells us that it is a sin. Often the historical sections do comment on the moral qualities of actions, but not always. The important issue is that we recognize the different types of literature and give correct consideration when interpreting a passage.

                                     Be Cautious of Allegorizing Scripture

    Allegorizing Scripture has a long and destructive history. Though it was practiced by some early church fathers, it existed elsewhere in the ancient world. Some Jewish writers, such as Philo, practiced allegorizing Scriptures. It was found that the teachings of Moses and the Greek philosophers could be integrated by using this method.

The Greeks too had used allegorization of their own ancient texts. The main “benefit” of allegorizing is the ability to remove real or apparent contradictions between Scriptures and current beliefs.

      Many contemporary preachers are quite comfortable allegorizing passages of Scripture. According to them, Jesus can be found teaching modern success theories, positive thinking, liberation theology (Marxism), Unitarianism, the New Age, or anything else. Remember that the key reason for the allegorical method’s existence was to integrate the Bible with Greek philosophy or whatever other contemporary worldly ideas that seemed popular and desirable.

      The resurrection can be allegorized into the new hope that springs into being with the cycles of nature: springtime, bunnies, and green grass. Or it can be allegorized as something analogous to ugly cocoon larvae changing through metamorphosis into butterflies.

      If the Bible uses metaphor or allegory, it still has one meaning, the meaning of the author. An author uses an allegory to make a particular point.

      The same is true for parables. Parables are not allegories, but short stories that make one or more points. For example, the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is not an allegory about backsliding. It is a story that illustrates the hardness of heart of the Jewish leaders who were offended at the fact that unworthy sinners were coming to Jesus (Luke 15:2).

      The key person in this parable is the older brother, whose attitude was that of the Jewish leaders of the time. I guess you could argue that allegorizing this into a sermon about backsliding does no harm, people are motivated to come to Jesus. But think about this: Whenever we fail to show the author’s intent when interpreting a passage, we show a lack of respect for the Bible. If the Holy Spirit inspired the human writers to convey His meaning to us, how do we improve on that by ignoring the Holy Spirit’s meaning and supplying our own?

                                                         Hyper-Literalism

    The “flip-side” of allegorizing Scripture is hyper-literalism. This means taking figures of speech and making them literal when they were not meant so by the author. The possible errors are numerous. “If your hand offends you cut it off” (Mark 9:43). Imagine the misery if we thought that was a literal command for self-mutilation! By the way, if we did, we would not solve any sin problems, sin arises from the heart (Matthew 15:8).

      All human languages, no matter what culture you are in, use figures of speech. They can sometimes be funny. However, most of the time when misinterpreted, they are harmful and dangerous.

      The Bible uses many figures of speech, mostly based on Hebrew idiom. However, some people are not willing to learn about these, or they have purposely have ignored them in order to deceive many people. One famous, blatant example is Mark 11:23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’”

      Kenneth Hagin and his many followers have created a huge movement based on a hyper-literal interpretation of this passage. They suppose that we can have literally anything we say, if we believe it, speak it, speak nothing but it, and have no doubts (name it and claim it?). They refuse any limitations to “whatsoever” since we, like God, can create reality with our words.

      Moving a mountain is a figure of speech for the impossible. God will do the impossible (from a human perspective) for His people of faith if their faith is true.

      Also, the claim that we can literally have “whatsoever” we say if we have faith, is totally false if taken literally. Do you know of anyone that has all the things they name and claim?

                                             Strive for the Love of the Truth

    Perhaps the most important antidote to errors in interpretation is not a method, but an attitude. Consider this passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12,

¹⁰and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹²and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

      Those, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, that have a burning in their hearts for the love of the truth will be excited to hear it and will seek it out. If not, it could be fatal.

      Today, there seems to be too many people who do not want to learn about and study the Bible. Many of us neglect a personal study of Scripture and instead let others (including false teachers) research for us and then choose to believe everything they say.

      One final question: Are you a disciple on the road to Emmaus, your heart burning with desire to learn, to have the Scriptures explained to you? Or are you complacent, having the Scriptures, but not caring what they really mean?

      If we truly love God and His Word, then we strive to learn the way of the Lord more perfectly. Every day we will seek to learn more about the whole concept of God, the meanings of Biblical terms, the historical background of Scripture and the intent for the meaning of various passages.

      If you let someone else do your studying for you and tell you what is truth, you are at the mercy of their findings.

      May you have peace and understanding to you as you absorb His true Word.

Chapter 15, The dark side of serving

John 16:33, (NKJV), These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble); but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

     Boy was John right! Since Lucy and I started actively serving the Lord we have had many, many blessings but the challenges and troubles have also been right there. Just because you are serving and doing God’s work does not mean that Satan will not interfere. On the contrary, the more you serve and spend time with Jesus, the more upset Satan gets and will try harder to get you away from Jesus by causing temptations and difficulties in your life and mission. With that in mind we must remember 1 Peter 5:8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” And I think missionaries are high on his list.

   We all know that we can stir up conflict sometimes when we talk to non-believers about Christ, scripture and other spiritual things. It probably is normal for them to argue with you, try to get you to change your mind and in general, just be stubborn and not listen. We expect that from non-believers. But what about believers, people who say they are Christians and supposed to believe as you do? Some of the most stubborn, judgmental and un-Christ like people that have crossed my path have been fellow Christians.  And pastors can be added to that list. I have met and worked with pastors that have tried to control the members in their church and act like their opinion is fact and no one is to challenge them. I have met pastors that have their agenda and will not listen to any other opinion and pastors that have shown extreme favoritism. I even know a pastor that states that people can’t leave the congregation unless he gives them permission! I never realized how bad it was until I became personally involved with fellow Christians and pastors that actually had power and authority and how they tried to use it to control others. 1 Peter 5:2-3 tells us pastors are not to lord over their flock! Peter 5:2-3, NIV ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

  

 Don’t get me wrong, there are many people and pastors out there that honestly want to serve Jesus and support those that have a call to go out into the mission field without any strings attached or ulterior motives. And I know many people like that.  However, there are too many Christian’s leaders out there that do things that are not acceptable in full view of the community and their actions are seen by both believers and non believers alike. However correction and rebuke is seldom used. It’s like pastors are untouchable and are not to be challenged. There are even times when some people actually worship and pay more attention to their pastor then they do to Jesus.

   There is also a darker side of mission work involving pastors who develop a sense of power and pride because of their high position. The problem continues because people see what is happening but will not do anything about it. The parishioners keep silent, I guess that goes back to the idea that you don’t question your pastor! That attitude is not according to scripture. None of us are above reproach or correction. Read Hebrews 5:17, 1 Peter 5:3 and 1 Timothy 5:6 concerning responsibilities of pastors.

   In addition to the above concerns, if you serve any length of time in the mission field and/or accept financial support from others to support your ministry, some of your supporters may become many of your toughest challenges. I have personally experienced this and recently I heard it again from a longtime missionary/pastor; “some of the most serious challenges and problems I have faced in my Christian walk have come from other professing Christians acting in a very un-Christ like manner."  Another comment I get is that; “non-believers are more accepting of me than many Christians.”

   I will say again, don’t get me wrong, the positives of serving Jesus far outweigh the negatives but we must recognize the negatives and work to correct them. And we need to remember that Jesus never said serving Him would be easy, but it will be worth it!  I’m just telling you these things because some of you might not realize that the enemy may not always be on the outside of our Christian family.

Satan will use every trick in the book to get you separated from your goal, put distance between you and Jesus and your friends. He will manipulate, send out false teachers to try to undo what you have accomplished through the Holy Spirit and try to get you to question your faith and your usefulness.

Mexico

    Another serious concern I have seen in Mexico is that pastors and missionaries may leave out some important facts when posting newsletters and follow-up’s to their supporters and on their web sites. Praises are given for Prophets that came to a church and made Prophecies, however, they never give a follow-up stating that many of the prophecies did not come true (and they continue to invite the Prophet back). And when I questioned the un-fulfilled prophecies, I was told that a prophet does not have to be 100% accurate. However, in Scripture it states that a false Prophet was to be stoned to death.

   Healing services are promoted and people are encouraged to come and see a miracle and be healed. The many miracle healings are mentioned in newsletters and web sites and praises are given. But what is not mentioned in the newsletters is the false healings that have taken place. I say this because I have been to those healing services and seen this take place. I say they are false healings because; people are encouraged to come forward and be healed. People have gone forward with bad backs, injured legs and knees, crippled children and an assortment of other real aliments.  When the healing prayer was given by the pastor or prophet, the people were not healed of their aliments but instead given a new gold filling (and not everyone received a new filling) in a tooth.  From what I remember in scripture, people were healed from what ailed them. The woman that was bleeding was healed from bleeding, not given a new filling in her tooth. The blind man was given total sight, not better hearing and still left blind.

   Actually this wave of gold and silver filling miracles are not just in Mexico. This charismatic miracle phenomenon possibly started in Toronto Canada in 1999. Pastor John Arnott  form Toronto issued a press release stating that God was filling peoples teeth with gold and silver. Other pastors jumped on the bandwagon stating that God had given them gold fillings. Later they had to recant and say it was not true. One pastor’s brother, a dentist, came forward and stated he had given his brother a gold filling not God! The pastor apologized.  Incidentally, the miracle trend before the gold and silver fillings was to lengthen a person’s leg.  I wonder what the next miracle trend will be.

     On a personal note, I have been criticized by a pastor for telling the truth on our web site about the violence in one of the cities where we served. I was told I should not be giving that information (even though it was true) because it was scaring people and they were not coming to do mission projects for the church.

In essence, money and mission teams coming to their church are more important than telling the truth about the violence that is going on in the community and allowing people to make up their own mind as to what to do.

   Other things that pastors/missionaries do not tell their supporters are things such as; churches will not work together (a church will not be involved in something if  so and so’s church will be there), churches prefer to do their own thing by themselves, and pastors that want it to be known to please stop bringing us clothes and toys because we have to many. I have been to people’s homes in Peñasco where I saw piles of clothes and toys in the back yard rotting and littering up the community.

   I have had Mexican pastors also tell me to ask the American churches that come down to stop playing favorites and giving all the blessings to a few select churches. I did and was met with hostility and called mean spirited.

   You also will not find in newsletters; information from concerned Mexican Pastors that Americans are bringing to much to their community to give away. And that the people in the community are becoming complacent and lazy. Their attitude is “why should we work or change when the Americans will bring us what we need.” Also, according to one pastor at a rehabilitation center “people are not coming to rehab as much because they can get what they need from the churches in the community (provided by the Americans) and still do their drugs and alcohol.” 

   Let the Americans do it attitude seems prevalent in Peñasco. Not only do many common people have that attitude but so do the rich. When I ask the locals if the wealthy Mexicans donate and support projects to help the poor, I was told not many. The wealthy have two reasons for not supporting; they don’t want to and why should they when if people wait long enough the Americans will come and do it for them.

It’s not just Mexico

It is not just pastors in Mexico that I have dealt with that do not want to hear the truth when it is confronting.  I have had the opportunity to talk to pastors and supporters here in Arizona about concerns in the mission field in Mexico and they were not receptive and even hostile to me for bringing it up. Why is that?

    Some of you may be asking why I am writing all this negative material about pastors, missionaries and supporters.  It is because if I don’t tell how it really is in the mission field you may not hear it from anyone else. For some reason many Christians refuse to be open, honest and transparent about their walk with Jesus, how Christians are doing as a group and to tell and admit the truth when it comes to problems within our community. That attitude just gives more wood for the fire to the non-believers that want to show us as being hypocritical and in denial.

    Another thing people in authority in the churches and in the mission field do not want to admit is that there is a lot of money, travel to other countries, excitement, power and prestige involved in missions. And they don’t admit the possibility that there are people that are taking advantage of others generosity. 

   There is a church in Tucson that is asking their members to donate money to an organization (that is not Christian) that makes small business loans to the poor in countries all over the world to start up their own business. Sounds good, right. I did research on the company and found that the company charges interest on the loans they make, I have no problem with that so far. I checked a little further (and it was very difficult to find these statistics) and found out that they charge different rates depending on the country where the loan is made. The problem I have with this company is that in the country of Mexico they were charging 63% interest on a loan to the poor that were trying to start up a business, 63%! I know there is a risk (but this company is not risking their own money) with these types of loans but upon further searching their report stated that the Mexicans repaid their loans on time and in full. If that is the case then the risk should be small and it would make sense to charge a lower interest rate. Personally, I feel that a 63% interest rate being charged o the poor unethical and not Christ like. I have three questions I think the people from that church should ask the pastorbfore they decisde to donate; did you know the company was charging 63% interest on the loans they make; if not, why did you not do research before you promoted this program; and why do you feel charges of 63% interest is not extreme?

   There are other deceptions and misuse of funds right under our noses and we blindly poor money into a cause that sounds worthy and we trust the people that are promoting the cause without question and contrary to what scripture tells us to do.

   As a donor (and all who consider donating) I have the right and responsibility to know where my money is going, if it is being used in a proper manner and is it effective. So it is our responsibility to hold people who are in charge of our money accountable for its use.

Especially since the people controlling our financial donations may not tell us the whole story about how it is being used or the success or failure of the projects. I will give two more examples of what I am talking about.

   There was a program in Peru where 15 churches in Tucson financially supported for five year, donating about million dollars to fund that program. This program was to establish small communities in the barrios of a large city, make them self sufficient, train and equip the locals to run the program (assistance for single mothers, children’s programs, establish churches and train leaders) and when the five year commitment was up, turn it over to the locals. I was told, last year, by a high ranking member of the American committee, that was overseeing the operation, that it was a failure and the ideas did not work out and the program was stopped. During the five year period newsletters were sent out telling of the successes and showing pictures of the area and the progress. However, when the five year period ended and the program was not deemed successful, as far as I know there have been no mention of the closing of the program and why it failed by pastors to the congregations (donors). My question is why not? As a financial donor I have the right to know how my financial contributions are being spent and I would feel deceived if total disclosure was not presented to me (and others).

   Another concern I have is that the same people that ran the program that failed in Peru are embarking on another program to help the poor in Peru and are asking again for financial support while leading people to believe that their first program was a success. I can’t help but feel that they are being deceptive.

There was also a small business loan program going on at the same time, it also failed. Money that was loaned was not paid back, businesses that were started did not stay in business and the loan program was disbanded.     

    My last comment; I have been reading reports on what has been happening in Haiti since the major earthquake disaster some years ago and the progress that is being made. It was reported that if they took the money that has been donated to Haiti and divided it up, they could give every citizen $500,000.00.  And just recently I read where there has been so many missionary teams going to the island that there is an average of one mission person for every fifteen residents.

    With those statistics in mind I also learned that many people are still living in shacks and tents, don’t have enough food or clean water, and do not have showers and sanitary bathroom facilities. This information is cause for concern and prayer.

    Are we sending our money there to make us feel good about helping those in need? Are we sending our mission teams there for the experience and to show our team members what it is like in a third world country or to try and convince our young they don’t have it as bad as they think (I have heard these reasons given as to why people bring their kids to Mexico with a mission team)? You may be wondering why I am bringing this up. It is because I have lived in a foreign country as a missionary and knew the needs of the community and would like to offer a little advice to people thinking about going on a mission trip.  Sending money to the government or big charitable organizations and taking a group on a mission trip may not be the best way to help those in need, as my examples of what happened in Peru and in Haiti have shown.  First; do your homework. Check out what is being done already and how many people are there already in the area where you are considering going to. Second; make sure you pray and that you are truly being called to go (or take a group) and you have the talents that are needed in the area. Third; instead of making the trip yourself or leading a team, consider contacting the local missionary(s) in the area and getting their advice. The best thing you may be able to do is to stay home and send them the money you would have spent on making the trip to a local missionary. The missionaries know the community, its needs, who is honest and where the money will be spent and used for what it was intended. Also, in times like these many missionaries are struggling with finances and just putting food on their own table and providing for their own family needs. Their needs are overshadowed by the disaster and are often forgotten about.    

    So to supporters, volunteers, missionaries, team leaders I say as scripture states “test everything.” And make sure your donations and time is being used wisely.

    To missionaries I suggest that you be totally honest in your reports to your supporters and others.  Follow Gods principles and do not let man tempt you into doing something wrong for the sake of money.

    Remember, we are not called to not give up till everyone is converted. We are called to spread the gospel and to those who will not listen we are to knock the dust off our feet and move on (Matthew 10:14).

    I do not have the answers to any of these questions, I still don’t know exactly what I will be doing, how I will be serving or where I will serve. But I do know I will not give up on trying with the best of my ability and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide me and protect me as I go (and covered by the full armor of God).

Matthew tells us how we are to be; Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

In other words, be a snake bird!  J

                Chapter 16 • Get Out and Serve!

Being full-time missionaries or servants of the Lord sounds impressive. I have heard people say they would like to quit their jobs or give up their businesses and go into mission work and serve the Lord when the time is right. Lucy and I never thought of it that way. When the decision came to serve as missionaries, it was like we just knew it was the right thing to do. God was calling us to serve Him. When we started, we were slow and methodical. We started out serving close to home, reading Scripture for guidance, praying, and learning about the people we were going to serve.

      At this point I would like to tell you a little more about my wife and me, Dennis and Lucy Smith. First off, we are believers. We believe in the Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, His life, death and resurrection into Heaven. We believe there is only one God. We are also sinners. We acknowledge our sins, ask for forgiveness, and are forgiven. Acts 3:19 states, “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” And in Luke 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.” When we repent we honestly try to turn around and go in the other direction, then we know we are right with God. We also read Scripture and use it as the basis for everything we do.

      We have traveled to many non-tourist areas of Mexico and studied their past and current culture. We love all of God’s children, but have been called by God to serve in Mexico at this time. Romans 10:15 tells us, “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

      Right now we are thankful that He has called us to spread the Good News by being His servants and serving His children as missionaries in Mexico. We like to say we are His hands and feet! He has qualified us and sent us in His name.

PTP; Get your eyes on Jesus and keep them there.

You don’t have to be a missionary or go to another country to be a servant or to serve. All you need to do is step out the door of your house. The people you can serve are right there in your neighborhood, city, state and the entire country.

      You can serve at the local school, at church or one of the programs through your church. There are old people to be visited—nursing homes would love to have someone visit those who have no family to visit them. You can volunteer at rehab centers, children’s centers, mobile meals (my father-in-law is 83 and he delivers meals once a week to shut-ins) and the list could go on and on. The point is, Jesus tells us to serve others, gives us different types of gifts for service and then lets us go out and use our gifts to serve His children.

      When you serve, remember Galatians 6:9-10,

⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

      If you are worried about not knowing enough about what you would like to be involved in, you can’t use that as an excuse. With the library full of books and material and the Internet at your fingertips, claiming a lack of information won’t hold up. Read about the organization where you are considering volunteering, talk to people, or just get out and serve. You can learn as you go—Jesus would not mind. Matter of fact, that’s how His disciples learned! Also, there are many good training facilities that you can go to for further education if needed.

      There is one thing you must be very careful of though: If you feel you are called to do something and are excited about it, make sure that it is God’s excitement in you and not your own! Even though what you are excited about may be a good thing and very honorable, if God is not calling you to do it, resist the temptation to do it anyway.

      Romans 12:3-8 reminds us of the attitude we must have as we serve and to use what He has given us, \

³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

      OK, you made it through this book and you may think you are ready to go out and serve by learning this information. Wrong! Reading this information will not equip you to be a servant. Hopefully it will give you insight to one couple’s dedication to serving the Lord. I am just offering information on how I managed to get where I am in service to our Lord. Use the information that is helpful to you but most importantly, learn from Scripture, consult the Holy Spirit for direction and let Jesus have the last word as you serve Him.

HE IS OUR SOURCE!

Dios te bendiga