Guatemala Day #4

 

VBS Bible study

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. Mark 10:45 CSB

We've had another wonderful day of ministry. 

Run down of the Day: 

Our day began with a challenging devotion from Jay Dalton, based on Mark 10:31. After prayer we loaded up at 7:30am and headed out to Ricon Chiquito. One of our guys, David, was a little under the weather today so he stayed behind and took some medicine for his bad cold. Once again we hit a traffic delay and were a little late getting to our ministry stations. (Traffic has been bad every day so far). Once we arrived half of the team went to the school for VBS and the other half went to the construction site, which was just down the hill from where we worked yesterday. Once again, the family we were building for fed us lunch and we wrapped up VBS and completed the second house. We got back to the mission house and had a little time to clean up before supper. During supper we got to watch the Guatemala soccer (futbol) match with one of our hosts and had a great time. After supper we had one of the best times of sharing that we've since we've been here. 

Reflections on the Day

1. Jay Dalton led the first devotion he had ever done before. He had a great message on Mark 10:31, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” He then shared different Scriptures where Jesus cared for the least important people of His day (children, a blind man, etc). Jay made a statement in his teaching that Jesus went to the least important and treated them like the most important people to Him. He concluded by reminding us that to be great in God's kingdom, you have to serve others. It was the perfect word from the Lord that we needed to hear. 

2. Our team continues to shine the light of Jesus in the face of schedule disruptions. Traffic has been bad every day this week, usually the result of an accident. Our team takes it in stride, using the time on the bus to talk and continue to get to know one another. We are very thankful for our bus driver Samuel, and handles the traffic with patience and ease. It has also rained every day this week, but thankfully the rain has always held off while we were doing VBS and construction. 

3. It was an emotional last day in VBS. We really didn't know what to expect before we came here, other than we would be working at a school and we should expect around 65 kids. The school is actually a Christian school in the village and is a ministry of a local church. The pastor's wife is one of the principals and she and some other teachers have been helping our team. The school is actually in session, but they shut down morning classes so we could do VBS. Today, Lydia shared the gospel with the older groups and offered to counsel with anyone who would like to become a follower of Jesus. No one responded today, but she encouraged them to talk with the pastor or his wife if they had any questions afterwards. She said that she could tell that many of the kids had church backgrounds and Christian teaching because they knew the answers to the questions about who Jesus is and what He has done. She also said some of the kids had Catholic backgrounds so we're praying that seeds of the gospel were planted and watered these last two days. At the end of VBS the pastor's wife thanked our group for coming and talked about how much the kids loved our group, and how much of a difference we had made in the children's lives. More than a few tears were shed by some on our team. Also, below is a brief video of a song the kids would greet the workers with each day. 

4. Though our construction team got a bit of a late start, we moved pretty quickly getting the second house built (we had a little experience under our belt, lol). Our team has worked well with the construction leaders and everyone has done a great job. We learned today that the husband of the family we built the house for is also named Francisco, but he goes by Chico. He and his wife have 9 children, but only 7 live in the home. Though the house we built was only about 12'x12' it is still bigger than where they were living. We also provided a new stove for them. Chico was there and worked with us all day. They were very appreciative of their new place. 

5. We also learned that Chico and his family are Christians and are members of the local church that runs the Christian school. However, Poncho and his wife that we built the house for yesterday are not members. The pastor and one of his sons has worked with us both days and are building a relationship with Poncho and his family in order to reach them with the gospel. We didn't realize it, but Servants Hearts Ministries works through local churches on projects like this to help the churches reach their communities. 

6. Vicinio, who is the lead missionary this week has had a lot of responsibilities thrown on him because the founding missionaries, and Vicinio's wife are all in the states caring for family members who are in the last days of their lives. Vicinio has done a great job keeping things going, and he has been a joy to work with. Another man, Mono, works with Vicinio in construction, and he has been a joy to work with also. "Mono" means "monkey" in Spanish and he is a real cut-up. He and Vicinio have both been very patient and encouraging, challenging some of our team members to do things out of their comfort zone. It has been a great experience. 

7. Our team has continued to bond and to grow together. We prayed and asked you to pray for unity among our group and the Lord has been answering those prayers. We have cried, encouraged and laughed a lot with other. It has really been a time of growth in our lives.

Tomorrow is going to be our last official day of ministry. We were scheduled to go to a food market and buy food for food boxes, but because Vicinio has other things he needs to take care of later this week, he went ahead and purchased the food for us. Tomorrow we will go to the school in the morning and pack the food boxes and then the families will come to the school to get the food. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel or words of encouragement with the families that come. Tomorrow after lunch we will go back to the homes we have built for a time of dedication with the families. We also have some quilts that were donated that we will be giving to them.  I am sure it is going to be another emotional day for us as we say good buy to new friends. 

Check out the video and a few pics from today: 

VBS Games

VBS Crafts

Foundation for the second house

Cows and a chicken coup, directly in front of the new house

Mikenna and Mono cutting wood

Lunch under the avocado trees

The front of the second house. Just to the right
is the cattle stalls and a chicken coup

Lilly at VBS

VBS Kids

VBS crafts

Guatemala Day 3

But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! Jeremiah 20:9 NLT

We had a wonderful day of ministry today.

Run down of the day:

Our morning started early, we met at 6:30am for breakfast and devotion. Jamie Gann led the devotion this morning, from Luke 12:7 (more on this later). Afterward, we loaded up on the bus and headed to Rincon Chiquito, where we are working this week. About half of our group headed to the construction site to build a house, while the other half went to the local school to do VBS. Around lunch time, the VBS crew joined the construction crew. We had packed sandwiches for lunch, but the family we are building the house for surprised us by cooking lunch for us (carne asada, rice, picante sauce, tamaltias and corn). We ate with them under an avocado tree. After lunch we finished up the house including installing a new stove. We then headed back to the mission house for supper and a time of reflection before bed. 

Reflections on the Day:

1. The day started with a wonderful devotion by Jamie. She talked about sitting on her porch at home thinking about what she would say when it was her turn to lead. She said God drew her attention to a firefly and how He created it to light up and shine. She talked about how beautiful it was and how God cared about the details of even the smallest bugs. She read the passage from Luke that talks about how God has the very hairs on our head numbered, and He cares about every little detail of our lives. She also pointed out that though one lightening bug is beautiful, when many of them light up together, it is a masterpiece. She encouraged us to watch throughout the day for at least one little thing that reminds us of how much God cares. Most of us found more than one. 

2. The VBS crew had a great day. There were 60 kids in three age groups. They did music, crafts, games and Bible study with them. Our folks fell in love with the kids and said all the kids were excited and involved in everything they did. They were so welcoming and friendly to our group. When Lydia read the Bible study, and asked questions about Jesus and what He did for us, many of the kids knew the answers and she could tell that they had been taught the word of God. Our team was helped by a local pastor's wife who is also over the school program. They can't wait to get back tomorrow. 

3. Our construction crew did amazing work. We were led by Vinicio and Mono from Servants Hearts Ministries. They have built many of these houses. When we arrived at the job sight, the concrete slab and two rows of blocks were laid. The home is about 12x12 square. When we left, the house was finished along with a new stove and an eco water filter. Working with local materials was a little challenging, but our team handled everything that came up. Vinicio and Mono were great to work with. They were incredibly patient with us and we worked well together. A couple of people on our team had never done any kind of construction work before, but by the end of the day everyone had a turn with a skill saw, screw guns and other tools. It was a great experience and we get to do it again tomorrow. 

4. The picture at the top is the couple for whom we built the house today. Their names are Francisco (aka "Poncho") and Maria. They are both in their 70's and have been living with their son, who is an alcoholic and would be abusive toward them. They would often have to sleep in a shack on the property when he was like that. The place where we built the house is where the shack used to be. Francisco tore down the old shack by himself, and Servants Hearts came a couple of weeks ago and poured the concrete and laid the block in preparation for us. The funds we raised and sent ahead of us purchased all of the supplies including the concrete, blocks, wood, sheet metal and even a new stove (pictured behind Francisco and Maria. They were overwhelmed at their new place. Francisco kept calling it "his mansion." They were both so appreciative and overwhelmed. Francisco kept praising the Lord. We will be going back on Wednesday to deliver a food box and dedicate the house. 

5. The meal the family provided truly humbled us. The food was cooked on an open fire there at the property by Francisco and Maria's daughters and granddaughters (some of their grandchildren and great grandchildren were also in our Bible School). Lydia said the type of meat they provided would have come at a significant cost to them. Francisco said he had no way to repay us so he wanted to feed us to show his gratitude. It was truly a humbling experience to see the sacrifice they made for us. 

6. Once again our team has handled challenges with grace and unity. The Spirit of the Lord is definitely at work in our group drawing us closer together as He draws us closer to Himself. Please continue to pray for us - for our physical and spiritual strength, our boldness to witness, unity and the wisdom to see where God is working and to join Him. Also pray for Samuel, who is our bus driver this week. In talking with him Lydia learned that he is nominally Catholic. He attended church with us on Sunday and seemed to enjoy the service, Please pray that the love of Jesus will show through and Christ would draw Samuel to Himself. 

Below are a few pics from the construction site. Hopefully I will have some from VBS on the next update. 

Guatemalan mom and baby on a scooter we saw on the way. 

Construction site when we first arrived

Maddie and Ed screwing on the sheet metal for the walls

Brayan and Ed cutting the metal 

Papaw David cutting metal

Mikenna cutting the studs for the walls

Lunch provided by the family

Our team being served lunch

Zach and Mono putting the roof on

Maddie talking to Francisco 

Finishing up the house. The section behind JBob is
the "kitchen" with the new stove. Behind Brayan is the door to
the new house. 

Guate Day 2

 

Worshipping at Access Church

But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 NLT

Well, another day that didn't quite go as we planned, but God had planned for us. First the good news ... our luggage finally arrived at 10pm tonight. We will have the items we need for ministry tomorrow (as well as some clean clothes!). Thank you for your prayers for this matter. 

Rundown of the Day

After a delicious breakfast of fruit and French Toast this morning, we gathered to talk about the upcoming day. Mikenna read our Scripture for the day (1 Samuel 12:24), I read an email of encouragement from one of our members, and we prayed together. We went to church at Access Church in San Cristobal. It was a wonderful service that was mostly in English, but we did sing one song in Spanish. They had a guest speaker, a pastor that was visiting with his mission team from Georgia. We celebrated the Lord's Supper and the speaker preached on the Armor of God. After church we headed back to Antigua to eat lunch. Because of a tragic bus accident, what would normally only take about 40 minutes took us nearly 2 hours, so we had a late lunch (at Taco Bell because everything else was packed, lol). After lunch some of us visited the school where Lydia taught when she lived here, and then went to the market for a brief shopping trip. We then headed back to the mission house for supper, and then our group time. Mikenna led the devotion tonight, talking about "Why do bad things happen to good people?" from John 9. Though we don't know the reason for every bad thing, God has a purpose and He is always bringing good from terrible situations. We shared how we were seeing God work, and then closed in prayer. And then our luggage arrived and we have been preparing for our work tomorrow. 

Reflections on the Day

1. Through the blessing of technology some of us were able to worship with you through Facebook Live. I am thankful for our leaders, Stiel, Paola, and Jeremy and blessed by the music and the message. It was a great way to start the day.

2. This morning some of our ladies were prayed over by ladies from the other mission team that is staying at the mission house. The prayers were audible and were heard throughout the mission house, and it was powerful not only for those who were in the room, but also for those who were within earshot. The other mission team are mostly African Americans, and they are working in Zone 3 which is the city dump for Guatemala City. We are blessed to have fellowship with them. 

3. Our worship time at Access Church was also a blessing. The message on the Armor of God was very practical and encouraging. The worship music was moving. During the worship music time there was a special needs young man in the aisle who was playing an air drum, and air guitar and dancing with the music. After the worship leader came off the stage, he fist-bumped the young man. We felt at home with a church that loves special needs people like Grace Point does. (We also saw a man who looked just like Jimmy Hicks, so we really felt a t home, lol.)

4. On the way to Antigua after church we were stuck in traffic caused by a bus wreck. We learned that it was a church bus, on their was to church that morning that lost control and rolled over. 45 people were injured and there were at least six fatalities. Our hearts broke when we heard the news and JBob led us in prayer for everyone involved and the families of the injured and deceased. 

5. Antigua was crowded with people today, but our team has handled every delay and difficult situation with grace and poise. While in Antigua, David had an opportunity to speak with a gentleman who was from Canada and had been diagnosed with cancer. He said his doctors in Canada had instructed him to head south, so he had been traveling by bus for about 68 hours through the US and Mexico. He was only in Guatemala for a little while and was planning to go to Rio De Janerio, Brazil. David told him he was part of a mission team and that we would be praying for him, and we did tonight. 

6. Mikenna did a great job leading our devotion tonight and God had obviously orchestrated. It was the perfect message after learning about the bus accident this afternoon. It reminded us that God knows what we need to hear, when we need to hear it. God is good. 

Tomorrow begins our real work. We have a construction team and a VBS team heading out at 7:30am. Please pray we will continue to pay attention to how God is working and how we can join Him in His work here in Guatemala. 

Thank you again for your support and prayers. 

First Full Day in Guate

 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. 
Colossians 3:23 ESV

We completed our first full day in Guatemala. It wasn't necessarily the day we planned, but the one God planned for us. 

A Quick Rundown of the Day:

After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, Samuel from Servants Hearts Ministries picked us up to take us to the mission house. The traffic coming out of Guatemala City was horrendous so it took a little longer than usual. But we made it and were able to drop off our carry-on bags and then head out to Antigua to explore. We had lunch at McDonald's in Antigua and then went to the Artisans Market where we met several of Brayan's family who work there. Our team did some shopping and explored the market area. After a few hours we headed back to the mission house where supper was ready for us. We got word that our luggage has still not arrived and so Lydia called the airlines to find out what was going on. She was told that the bags were still in Dallas. After a couple of conversations, she was told the bags would be on a plane tonight, and would arrive at the mission house tomorrow, hopefully before we have to leave for church. 

After the meal we gathered to decompress and share some of our thoughts of the first day.

Reflections of the Day

While there have been some challenges, such as late flights and delayed luggage, we have also seen some wonderful blessings. 

1. Our team is handling the challenges with amazing grace. There is an great unity among our team members and a spirit of peace throughout the group. 

2. Servants Hearts Ministries has been a blessing to work with. They have done their best to offset the challenges we have faced. Our bus driver Samuel and the other members of the team have been very friendly and helpful. They have another mission team here as well, and are accommodating both teams despite being short-handed.  

3. The mission house is wonderful. It is beautiful (see pics below). There is a wall around the property and a security guard on duty at all times. We are blessed with great facilities. 

4. We had a great time meeting Brayan's family and other people in the market. Some of our team members were able to have Gospel Conversations with the some of the vendors and we met brothers and sisters in Christ. 

5. Our team has a heart for service. While in Antigua, we walked to an area known as the Fruit Market; it is not in the usual tourist areas and Lydia said that many of the vendors in the fruit market were kind of looked down on. While we were buying some fruit, one of the vendors, a young lady, had a stack of crates full of Roma tomatoes fall over and spill in the street where people were walking, and traffic was coming through. About 6-7 of our team jumped in, got down on their knees in the street and picked up all of the tomatoes. The young lady really didn't know what to think when she saw all of the "gringos" picking up her tomatoes, but she was very appreciative. It was a great witness to the other vendors and shoppers in the area. 

6. We had a great time of sharing tonight and we read one of the notes that was sent by one of our members. In the envelope were cards for each family and individual member of our team, that had Colossians 3:23 on one side, and a daily Scripture reading list on the other. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement of our Grace Point family. 

Tomorrow is church in the morning and then lunch and a little more exploring in Antigua. Afterwards we will be back at the mission  house preparing for construction and VBS on Monday. Thank you for your prayers - please continue to pray that our luggage makes it tomorrow (Sunday) - VBS and some construction items are in those bags, lol!

Here are a couple of pics from our day:                         

Front entrance of mission house

Courtyard of the Mission House

Our transportation for the week

Mission House security!

We Made it to Guatemala

 

Family and Friends, 

We made it to Guatemala! We've had a little bit of an adventure, but all is well. 

We had a 45 minute delay in Knoxville that got us a little behind. They had a mechanical issue with the plane; they couldn't get the tow bar to release from the plane (the pilot actually said on the intercom, "I don't if it is a mechanical issue or the mechanic" lol.) The delay caused us to cut it close getting on our connecting flight in Dallas. We made it, but unfortunately our luggage didn't. All we had last night were our carry-ons. Our luggage is supposed to be delivered to the mission house this afternoon. 

The flights were smooth and our first time flyers did amazing. We arrived in Guatemala around 11:15pm Guatemala time, which was 2am our time. The mission house wasn't ready for us, so the ministry made arrangements to put us up in a very nice hotel in Guatemala City, the Barcelo Guatemala (check out the link). We finally made it to our rooms about 1am Guatemala time (3am our time). We were all pretty exhausted, but everyone seems to be doing well this morning. We've had breakfast at the dining hall, and it was a wonderful buffet of Guatemalan breakfast foods. 

Our original plan was to go to Antigua today for a little exploring. We aren't sure if that is going to happen, since we may need to be at the mission house to receive our luggage, but we will see. Our team has handled the challenges with incredible grace and flexibility. Lydia said last night that this is "calmest" mission team we've ever had, lol. 

Tomorrow we are scheduled to go to Antigua for church, and then a little shopping before we really begin work on Monday. 

Thank you again for your prayers and support. We are excited to see what great things the Lord does this week. 

Ehud - An Unlikely Hero

 

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them... 

Judges 3:15 CSB

In my Old Testament class I recently taught through the Book of Judges. Samson is probably the most famous judge of Israel, but I love the story of Ehud. He's known for being "left-handed." The original wording of this description literally means that his right hand doesn't work. Scholars believe that perhaps Ehud's right hand was injured or he had some kind of defect or handicap of his right hand. In the culture of the Ancient Near East, the right hand was the hand of power and authority, so a person with an injured or handicapped right hand wouldn't be considered much of a threat. But God chose Ehud to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Moabites and their great king, Eglon. You can read the full story in Judges 3:12-30 HERE. It's a really cool story. 

Also this week, I received an email devotion from Carson Newman that happened to be about the story of Ehud. I loved what the writer of the devotion said: 

Once we see how the story of Ehud points to Jesus Christ, we can see our part to play in the story. God uses unlikely people to bring about His plan. God delights to use the weak things of the world to shame the strong; the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. We are strongest and wisest when we think we are fools and weak and look to God. When we do, God can use us for His glory. It doesn’t matter how young you may be.

Joan of Arc led armies at 17. Pascal invented a type of calculator at 19. Madison led the Continental Congress at 29. It also doesn’t matter how old we are. Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings at 62. Webster finished his first dictionary at 66. John Glenn went to space at 77. God gets glory because He uses farmers, fishermen, former terrorists, former prostitutes, and carpenters to turn the world upside down. He can do the same with us!

How true this is; God uses the most unlikely people to accomplish remarkable things for His glory. The same God who raised up Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite, wants to use you for His glory as well!

March Madness

David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. 

1 Samuel 17:50

If you are a sports fan, this is a wonderful time of the year! The NCAA College Basketball tournament began this week. Over the next few weeks, Sixty-Eight teams will compete for the National Championship. The tournament is also called "March Madness" because there are always a few upsets during the tournament. (Already today #15 Princeton defeated #2 Arizona and #13 Furman upset #4 Virginia!) Upsets are generally exciting games as the underdog rises up to defeat the favored team. 

I love a good underdog story, like David and Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17). Goliath is described as a 9-foot Philistine giant, who had been a warrior from his youth up. He had training, experience, weaponery and a lot of confidence. David was a young teenager, sent to the front lines to check on his brothers who were serving in the Israeli army. He had never been in battle before - the closest thing to a fight for David had been run-ins with wild animals protecting his father's flocks. 

David arrived as Goliath challenged the Israelites to a battle of "Representative Warfare" - he wanted them to send their best warrior to fight him, and whoever won would win not only for himself, but his army and nation also. David was shocked as he watched the Israeli army run and hide when Goliath came out. Not one of the soldiers was willing to go to battle the giant. David got mad, and then he volunteered to go fight Goliath. 

David was the complete opposite of Goliath. He was young, inexperienced and ill-equipped. His only weapons were his shepherd's staff, a sling and five smooth stones... but you know how the story goes - David knocks Goliath down with a well-placed rock and then cuts off his head with Goliath's own sword. The Israeli army rushed the valley and defeated the favored Philistines. March Madness at it's best!

March Madness is also a great lead up to the ultimate David and Goliath story - Easter. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus took on the greatest enemy of human beings, death... and He won! On Easter, we celebrate the defeat of death. And when Jesus defeated death, He also won the victory for all who would believe in Him. Paul wrote to Timothy: "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News." (1 Timothy 1:9-10)

As you're enjoying March Madness, take some time to prepare your heart to celebrate the greatest upset in the history of the world - victory over death. Praise the Lord!

Revival at Asbury University

 

LORD, I have heard the report about you; LORD, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy! Habakkuk 3:2 csb

Many of you may have heard or read about something that is happening on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, KY. On Wednesday, February 8 after a school chapel service, a group of students requested the opportunity to stay in the chapel sanctuary to worship and pray. Permission was granted and in a short time, more students began to gather and worship and praise the Lord. Soon the chapel was filled with students praying, crying out to God, confessing sin and professing their faith in God. Worship has continued around the clock since then and people from all over the nation are gathering to be a part of what God is doing there. There are also reports of similiar stirrings of revival on other college campuses including Cedarville University in Cedarville, OH, and Lee University in Cleveland,TN. 

While we should always be discerning when hearing of such stirrings, we should also be praying for the fires of revival to grow and spread across our land. 

Bill Elliff is a retired Southern Baptist pastor and a student and historian of revivalism. He is currently at Asbury and shares these reflections from what he has experienced: 

Reflections From Asbury - Part 2
By: Bill Elliff

The quiet, precious movement of God continues in Wilmore, Kentucky, on the campus of Asbury University. This is not the first time an extended movement has occurred here. Similar movements happened in the 30s when a prayer meeting led by E. Stanly Jones lasted for many days. In the ’50s, two other activities occurred, and in 1970, a chapel service extended for seven days and nights. God used it as a catalyst to the nationwide revival called the Jesus Movement.

I’ve had the privilege of sitting in Hughes Auditorium, where this is happening, for the last two days, watching and experiencing this extraordinary movement. Only for the purposes of explanation (and no other reason), I would mention that I have been a pastor for 54 years serving in the Baptist stream. Revival touched down on our small Arkansas school in 1970 (Ouachita Baptist University). My wife and I witnessed firsthand the manifest presence of God as a noonday chapel went throughout the day, canceling classes and changing lives. We’ve never been the same.

I’ve been a student of God’s revival movements across history for fifty years. I traveled for several years to churches, helping them pursue God in revival. I was a founding member of the OneCry initiative that seeks to help pastors and churches pursue God for revival and spiritual awakening. I have spoken and written a great deal about this theme, for it is the desperate need of our day. Our deteriorating culture illustrates that it is time for a needed movement from Heaven. Samuel Davies of the First Great Awakening said, “There are eras when only a large outpouring of the Spirit can produce a public general reformation.”

We have seen seasons of His movement in the church I helped plant 25 years ago. One particular season happened in 2011 after six months of fasting and praying by the congregation. One Sunday morning, the Lord interrupted our normal schedule with an unusual outpouring of His Spirit which lasted through the afternoon. That continued—every night except Saturdays—for three to four hours each evening for the next five weeks. It was not weird, nor wildly uncomfortable, but the quiet movement of the Spirit, filled with prayer, repentance, salvation, and spontaneous baptisms by new believers. Many came to faith in Christ.

I mention these things for one reason alone (please understand). It is certainly not to boast but to explain who is writing this article to help those who would criticize this movement from a distance.

THE QUIET ORDER OF ASBURY
Last night, I saw some self-appointed critics of the Asbury movement on social media. Of course, they had not been to Hughes Auditorium, they just “heard” that this and that was happening. When I read their second and third-hand reports, I was shocked, but not surprised. God always has his critics.
What is happening at Asbury (as I witnessed first-hand) has some beautiful, biblical components. This is what I’ve observed.

VIBRANT, POWERFUL WORSHIP.
Worship is being led by various student teams. Some are more proficient than others, but all are humble. We do not know their names. There are no fog machines nor lights—just piano and guitar by unnamed students worshiping God. We are singing songs that would be familiar to most of us, often just acapella, with no instruments. Contemporary songs are sung, often interspersed by the hymns of the church. There are no words on the screen, and they do not seem to be needed.

INTENSE AND INTENTIONAL HUMILITY
The wise pastors on Asbury’s staff who are gently shepherding this movement keep reminding us that there are no superstars and that no one is to be exalted except Jesus. They have encouraged us to get lower and lower and lower under Him, exalting Him higher and higher. I have personally watched them stop a person or two who may have tried to hijack the meeting. They realize that God’s manifest presence is precious and desperately needed. They want no one or no thing to quench or grieve His Spirit.

LIFE-CHANGING TESTIMONIES
The leaders, at times, will open the microphones for a season of testimonies of what God has done. They instruct the crowd to observe these ABC’s:

• All glory to God alone
• Brief
• Current

They stand with microphone in hand and wisely shepherd these moments. They will close the lines when they sense it’s time to move forward.
Often during these testimonies, when they sense God repeating a theme, they have paused and called for those with the same issues to stand, and for people to gather around them and pray.

GUIDED PRAYER
At various times, they have led us into corporate prayer. Instructions are given, and then we’ve turned in small groups and cried out to God.
At the altar, they have a continuous team of prayer counselors, identified by lanyards around their necks, who are helping those in need and praying with them. They have gently invited the people to come to these trained counselors for prayer.

UNASHAMED WITNESS
Everywhere, people are sharing with others in need outside the auditorium. God is opening people’s lips and giving them the Acts 4 courage to “speak the word of God with boldness.” The result is what you would expect—the gospel is spreading rapidly, and many are coming to faith in Christ.

SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, AND EVEN PHYSICAL HEALING
Many are giving testimony of how God is instantly releasing them from years of bondage to addictions. Release from past hurts, bitterness, fear, is happening quickly for the humble ones who admit their need and cry to the Savior. Some are testifying of physical healings, just as occurred in the Book of Acts, but this is not at all the dominant theme of the meetings. The theme is Jesus—exalting Him, surrendering to Him, and testifying of Him to others.

PREACHING
One prognosticator on social media proclaimed that this was not of God because there was no preaching. I smiled, because there have been moments of preaching throughout and a “regular” sermon every single night, delivered humbly by godly pastors.

WISE LEADERSHIP
I cannot say enough about this. I have been in many moments of intense revival. I have led in a number of these moments. I stood at a microphone for five weeks, shepherding a movement of God for 3-4 hours a night.

    I’m overwhelmed by the wise, quiet, strong, loving leadership of those in charge. It is not dominating and not restrictive. They are discerning God’s movement and cooperating. They are giving instruction and direction when needed.

CONSISTENCY WITH THE WAYS OF GOD
The Jesus movement was characterized by vibrant, simple worship and constant witness to the gospel. I was there. The church, by and large, reacted to the “hippies” who were being saved and the more current expressions of worship. Many churches ridiculed this and quenched the Spirit, unwilling to accept new wineskins. Most of these churches have plateaued and died. The churches that humbly opened the door to lost people and wisely shepherded God’s activity, exploded. Calvary Chapel, a small California church, kept responding to God and, in the Jesus movements wake, have started 1400 churches.

    Two things characterized the 1857 revival: First, fervent noon-day prayer meetings that grew from six people (with Jeremiah Lanphier) to 50,000 people every day in New York City alone and, secondly, unashamed testimony and witnessing. There were simple “rules” that they used to guide the prayer meetings. They lasted from 12-1 each day. It spread across the country. Prayer requests came from around the world. I’ve read many of those actual requests—most are for the salvation of a loved one. In revival, our hearts return to beat with the heart of God whose great desire is for people of every tongue, tribe, and nation to come to Him.

    When the church begins to pray, that IS revival, for we are usually prayerless. When that reviving turns to fervent, unashamed witnessing and the rapid acceleration of the gospel, we term that “spiritual awakening,” for that is exactly what God is doing among the lost.

GIVING GOD TIME AND WAITING
The revival here is not hurried or rushed. There are long periods of stillness and waiting. If you want to rush in, get a big dose of God and rush out, don’t come. God works on His timetable. We give God little time and almost no silence. What is happening here is occurring because thirsty people are waiting before God. In time, He speaks to one, then another, bringing them back to intimacy with Him. I’ve always thought that we don’t experience God because we put Him on our timetable. Waiting is a lost art, and it is turning our full attention to Him until He makes Himself known that we need.

SPREADING
As of the fifth day of the movement, 22 colleges have sent groups of students here, hoping to see the same outbreak on their campuses. It would not surprise me if that was how this exploded nationwide, for students are most tender and willing. It is also no coincidence that a very carefully-made movie about the Jesus Revolution is coming out by our friend, Jon Erwin, February 22nd and that the Collegiate National Day of Prayer broadcast has been scheduled for over a year to be broadcast from Asbury on February 23rd. We should pray that these will further accelerate God’s work.

OVERWHELMING LOVE
One of the leaders spoke to us last night about the beginning of the revival when a pastor spoke of hypocritical, self-seeking love. He remarked that what these days have done has reversed that. Asbury has become a sanctuary of the love of God. That is the essence of God (He IS love) and has been the hallmark of every moment when He is placed again on His rightful throne in our hearts, homes, and churches. “Heaven a World of Love” was preached by Jonathan Edwards. And revival is heaven coming down.

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?
I talked with a friend who reminded me of this beautiful truth from a missionary involved in the great revival in Shantung, China, in the late 20s.
    "We heard of the revival in Korea, which began in 1907. It was a mighty movement and had been born through a prayer-revival among missionaries. Oh, to be able to go there and bring back some glowing coals to our own field! But the journey was long and expensive and I had not the money. As I prayed for money and looked for an answer, a definite word was sent instead: “What you want through that journey you may be given here, where you are, in answer to prayer.” The words were a tremendous challenge. I gave my solemn promise: ‘Then I will pray until I receive. Having pledged myself ... the first conscious thought was: Then prayer means as much as that, and that my promise should be kept means as much as that.’ That experience helped me to endure through the almost twenty years which were to pass before the first small beginnings of revival were visible. Truly, God works unhurriedly." (Marie Monsen, missionary nurse to north China, describing how she came to pray for the revival that burned there from 1927-1932)
    You don’t have to come to Kentucky to experience revival and awakening. “The kingdom of God is here,” Jesus said, and He has gladly chosen to give us the Kingdom.

AND FINALLY …
Coming out of Hughes auditorium, with its love and grace and humility, and reading the words of some critics on social media was revealing. The pride of their words was apparent when seen against the backdrop of the presence of God. The spirit of such judgments came through the page and was glaring in its self-righteousness. It's wise to examine things carefully, but foolish to make swift judgments without close examination and real knowledge.
    If you are tempted to criticize this movement flippantly, it might be wise to heed the counsel of Gamaliel when his religious colleagues criticized the early disciples.

“So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

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Oh Lord, revive Your work in our lives, our churches, and our world today!

Between a Rock and the Red Sea

But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.” Exodus 14:13‭-‬14 CSB 

 I've been reading the Reading God's Story: One-Year Chronological Plan this year and I'm in the book of Exodus.  Moses and the Israelites have fled Egypt. They went south and now the Egyptian Army has closed in on them and the Red Sea. The people have complained to Moses, fearing they will be killed by Pharaoh's army. Moses assures the people that God is with them and they will see the Lord deliver them. Three things he tells them to do: don't be afraid, stand firm, and be quiet. He promises the Lord will fight for them.

The people have done what Moses told and led them to do, but now they are caught between a rock and a hard place. Being obedient to the Lord and following Him often leads to difficult places. And often, as we grumble and complain, we also try to figure out how to get out of the mess (let's go back to Egypt where we came from). Our scripture provides a great prescription for what to do when we find ourselves trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea.

1. Don't be afraid - This is less about controlling your emotions and more about trusting God. Fear and faith do not fit well together. To not be afraid is to completely trust the Lord in whatever situation you are in. In Mark 5 the daughter of a synagogue ruler (Jairus) had died before Jesus could get to her. When Jesus overhead the men telling Jairus that it was too late Jesus said: When Jesus overheard what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” (Mark 5:36 CSB) Don't be afraid means "only believe." Have faith, not fear. 

2. Stand firm - This is about not only controlling your emotions but controlling your actions. Don't try to get yourself out of the mess, stand firm until the Lord tells you what to do. Eventually the people would have to act; they would have to cross the sea between walls of water, but the water hadn't parted yet. Often we have to wait for God to move before we move.

3. Be quiet - Stop complaining and don't try to tell God what to do. It's ok to pray and seek the Lord, He wants us to do that. A big part of the reason He leads us to these situations is so that we will run to Him. But complaining and praying aren't the same thing. Plus, when we are complaining, we aren't listening. We have to "be quiet" and watch to see what the Lord will do.

What happened next is considered one of the greatest miracles in the Bible. God didn't remove the Red Sea, but He made a way through it. That's how God works - He brings us to seemingly impossible situations and tells us, don't fear, just believe; stand firm in your faith, be quiet and watch Him work what only He can do. What is your rock and Red Sea place? God will see you through!

Making A "Christian" Salad

 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—  he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)— and since we have a great high priest over the house of God... Hebrews 10:19-21 CSB

We had a wonderful worship service at Grace Point this morning. The music was spot-on and one of our Elders, Jeremy Smith, preached a great message from Hebrews 10. He titled the message. "Jesus is Greater! Let's Eat Salad!" That's a great title, and it was a wonderful message. If you'd like to listen to it, CLICK HERE for the audio, or you can watch the full service on our church's Facebook page here

Jeremy noted that the title was based on the overall theme of Hebrews (Jesus is Greater!) and the use of the words, "Let us ..." ("lettuce", get it 😃) used three times in vs 22-24. I had never paid attention to that repetition before, so I've spent some time pondering those verses today and the three "let us" verses seem to walk through the progression of the Christian life. 

1. Salvation (v.22)

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 

Jeremy covered this verse very well in the sermon this morning. The writer of Hebrews draws on the imagery of the Jewish High Priest going into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the Ark of the Covenant to make atonement for the sins of the people. Jesus, our High Priest, has "sprinkled: his own blood on our hearts, making atonement for our sins and securing our salvation. We draw near to God through our faith in Him. Our salvation is the work of Christ, through His sacrifice on the cross, and through our faith in Him. 

2. Sanctification (v.23)

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.

Salvation is not the end goal, but rather the beginning of the Christian life. Once we are saved, God begins to do a work in our lives to transform us into the image of His Son Jesus (Rom 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Col 3:10). Author Jerry Bridges says, “Christlikeness is God’s goal for all who trust in Christ, and that should be our goal also.” (The Discipline of Grace) We cooperate in this process when we "hold on to the confession" of our faith in Jesus Christ. The writer also reminds us that God is faithful, He will complete the process of sanctification that began when we were saved. 

3. Service (v.24-25)

And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

The last ingredient of the Christian salad is service/ministry to others. We move from being saved to serving others. The writer tells us that we are to "consider one another;" we should think about others and how we can positively impact their lives. One of the important ways we serve others is through exhortation or encouragement. The writer of Hebrews uses the term "to provoke" which literally means "to stir up" or "to stimulate." We are to stimulate others to grow in love and do good works. And, as Jeremy pointed out in the sermon, we do that more effectively when we are gathering together as the body of Christ. The writer encourages us not to forsake joining in with the gathering of the saints, because we need each other. 

To me, those verses represent the progression of the Christian life: everything begins with our salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But the faith alone that saves, does not remain alone, we progress in the Christian life through cooperating with God's transformation progress. Which in turn leads us being like Jesus and serving others. 

Where are you on this ingredient list? Are you at the first "let us", needing to draw near to God for salvation? Have you been saved, but need to progress in the sanctification process? Or maybe you are reaching the point of looking for opportunities to serve others. I'm happy to help at any stage ... feel free to reach out! Remember, Jesus is Greater! Let's eat some salad!

ENCOURAGER: Everyone Needs One, and Everyone Can Be One

 

"Christians are like the several flowers in a garden that have each of them the dew of heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other's roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers of each other." - John Bunyan

Author Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) attended a lecture of Dr. Alexander Papaderos, a Greek philosopher and the founder of the Orthodox Academy of Crete. At the end of a lecture, Dr. Papaderos asked, “Are there any questions?” “Yes,” Fulghum said. Then he asked, “What is the meaning of life?” People generally laugh at such a question and gather their notes, prepared to leave as the speaker smiles and shrugs off the question. But this day, to his surprise, Fulghum got a serious answer. 

As the attendees whispered and chuckled and prepared to leave, but Dr. Papaderos held up his hand. “I will answer your question,” he said. He drew from his pocket a small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. As he was growing up during the war, his family was very poor, and he had few toys. One day he found the broken pieces of a mirror, left over from the wreck of a German motorcycle. He tried in vain to piece the bits together, but finally ended up discarding all but the largest piece.

“This one,” he said, holding it higher. “And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine—in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

“I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do in my life.…

“With what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world—into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.” (From: "It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It," by Robert Fulghum)

What a wonderful illustration to answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?" The purpose of our lives is to reflect the light of God’s love into the lives of those around us – and by doing so- make a difference. It is amazing what God can do with little things like a broken mirror, a card of encouragement, a text, phone call or kind word. 

It is amazing what God can do with a little thing like encouragement. The dictionary defines encouragement as “the act of inspiring others with renewed courage, renewed spirit, or renewed hope.” In the NT the word most often translated as “encouragement” is parakalein. This term comes from two Greek words: para meaning “alongside of,” and kaleo, meaning “to call.” When people come alongside us during difficult times to give us renewed courage, a renewed spirit – that’s encouragement. Everyone needs a little encouragement – someone to come alongside and hold them up for a while, to help them move on. 

Thoughts to ponder" 

1. Who encouraged or encourages you? 

2. Who are you encouraging? 

Let your light shine into the lives of others on this journey with us. 

Who You Are > What You Do

 

5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

The Apostle Peter is writing to followers of Jesus that are scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Among other things, he is instructing them in the ways of God for spiritual growth, and reminding them of an all-important truth, God is more interested in who you are, than in what you do. Notice the chain of growth Peter outlines, with each characteristic linking to another: 1) Faith in Christ - everything begins (and ends) with faith in Jesus. 2) Moral excellence - surrendering your best to God. 3) Knowledge (ginosko) - functional or experiential knowledge, i.e. wisdom. 4) Self-control - self-mastery or dominion over yourself. 5) Patient endurance -  steadfastness, patience in active waiting. 6) Godliness - devotion, piety, reverence. 7) Brotherly affection (philadelphia) - affection for those in the body of Christ. 8) Love for everyone (agape) - unconditional love, the highest form of love. 

Each of these character qualities overlap and generally develop simultaneously. And Peter says that we are to "make every effort" or be diligent to grow in these areas. 

Pastor Francis Chan introduces his message on 2 Peter 1:5-11 with this probing question (one that is applicable to every follower of Christ)... AT WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST?

"Peter writes in his letter that we should make every effort to cultivate Christ-like character qualities. Most of us have goals that revolve around what we want to accomplish rather than who we are, but God wants us to develop character. When we focus on being the person God wants us to be, then we will accomplish what He wants us to accomplish." *

Remember: Who you are is always more important than what you accomplish or accumulate. 

What if you said "Yes"?

 What if you said "Yes" to God? 

In Mark 10 there is remarkable story of a wealthy young man who comes to Jesus and asks what he needs to do to gain eternal life. Jesus’ initial response is to keep the Law. The young man reveals that this is something that he has done since he was a child. He obviously realizes that keeping the law isn’t enough, and so Jesus answers him and says, “One thing you lack; sell everything you have, give to the poor and come follow Me.” The young man went away sad because he had many possessions. 

I’ve often wondered what that man’s life would have been like had he said “Yes” to Jesus. He had great possessions, great power and probably great respect in his community; he probably had a lot going for him. But what if he had been willing to sell everything and then follow Christ. What would God have done in this young man’s life if he had said “yes” to Jesus? Perhaps God would have had even greater things in store for this young man ... eternally greater things. 

I think the kind of opportunity this man had is present everyday in our world. I believe Jesus is still calling people to follow Him, and a few are saying yes to Him, but many are going away sad because they have so much invested in this world. Their lives are so filled with temporal stuff, there is no room for God to move in their lives. 

I read the story of Lillian Trasher, who said yes to Jesus when she was only 8 years old. In doing so, Lillian also prayed, “Lord, if there is ever anything you want me to do for you, You just let me know and I will do it.” 

When she was in her late teens God called her to work in an orphanage in North Carolina, so she moved away from family and began a life there. She met and fell in love with a young pastor named Tom Jordan. They planned to get married, but during their engagement Lillian heard a missionary from India speak and she felt a strong call to the mission field. Tom didn’t have that same call, and 10 days before their wedding, Lillian broke off their engagement. Lillian began to seek the Lord for where He would have her serve on the mission field. 

She felt the Lord calling her to Egypt and in 1910, she and her sister arrived in Egypt with only $100 between them. They weren’t sure what kind of ministry the Lord was calling them to, but only a few days after they arrived, a dying woman they had just met gave Lillian her baby. The baby’s grandmother wasn’t able to care for it, and there was no one else. Within a year Lillian and her sister started the Lillian Trasher Orphanage. By 1923 Lillian was caring not only for orphan children but widows and disabled adults as well. There were nearly 300 people under her care. 

Lillian would spend the rest of her life caring for the needy of Egypt. When she died in 1961, Mama Lillian was caring for more than 1200 people. She is buried on the grounds of the orphanage that is still in operation today, 61 years after her death. That’s the kind of thing that happens when people say yes to Jesus, and they make room for him to work in their lives. Ordinary people serving an extraordinary God.

    1900 years before Lillian Trasher said "yes" to God, another young girl said "yes" to Him. An angel appeared to Mary of Nazareth to tell her that she had been chosen to the human vessel through whom the Messiah, God's only Son would come into this world. Though she had some concerns, Mary's response is beautiful: Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 NLT  The world has never been the same since. How different will the world be when you say "YES" to God!