4500 Reasons to Do Missions

4500 Reasons to Do Missions

Today we made our way up to the village of Naranjo. This is a two hour ride up the side of a mountain in the back of a pickup truck. Today was our first day of children's ministry on the trip. As we arrived we began to set up for our VBS and some of the children began to arrive as well. By 11am we had well over 100 children packed into the feeding center there in Naranjo. Some of the children walk two hours just to come and get a meal to eat. It is hard for us to imagine that some of the children that came today had not had a meal since Friday (today was Monday). 

I can't imagine my boys not having anything to eat all weekend! But for the children in Naranjo, and many other villages in the mountains of Eastern Guatemala it is a reality that they live with each and every day. The air is thin in Naranjo because the village rests over 4500ft. above sea level. Hence the title of my blog today, "4500 Reasons to Do Missions!" 

Many people look at missions as a waste of precious time and resources. They ask questions like, "why don't the church help people in South Carolina and the United States, we have people in need here too?" That is a legitimate question but the problem is that people in third world countries don't have the "help" that we have in the United States. In the USA there are programs as well as churches that reach out to those who are in need. But what about those who are 4500 feet above sea level in the mountains of Guatemala? Who is going to reach them? Who is going to feed them? For many the government does not even consider them to be a person. This is what Jesus said...

Acts 1:8 (NASB) ⁸  but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 

Jesus said that we would be witnesses after the Holy Spirit came upon us, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the earth. 

Now let me ask you a question. Are we to just stay in Jerusalem? Are we to just stay in our home town, our state, our nation? That's not what Jesus said is it? He said that we should go to the remotest (uttermost) parts of the earth. Filled with the Spirit we are to do all of those things, not just one or the other. 

So yes, let's be Christ in our community and city, and surrounding areas, but we can't leave out the fact that Jesus mentions the remote parts of the world. The places 4500 feet above sea level, in the mountains of Guatemala, in a village called Naranjo. There are people there, precious people, real people. People with jobs, families, and problems, just like you have. But many of them have children who are starving to death.

Today we helped to change the lives of those families and bring a smile to the faces of the children there. I can't help but hear the words of Jesus who said...

Matthew 19:14 (GW) ¹⁴  Jesus
said, “Don't stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of
the kingdom of God.” 

In this blog I have given you 4500 reasons to do missions, but there are so many more. I think the number one reason is that it's the heart of God. God is seeking. He desires for all to come to the knowledge of the truth. He is looking for someone who will be willing to go and do the work that he has called them to do. Will you go? Will you even begin to touch Jerusalem (your city)? 

How many reasons do you need?

The Tamales are for You!

Today we traveled to the village of Tosoro Obajo for a mountain rally. There were people there who traveled for two hours to be in the service! There were over 150 people who gathered to worship The Lord and seek his face. As the music played and the people sang you could sense the presence of The Lord filling that little church on the side of a mountain in a remote part of Guatemala. 

Although we couldn't understand the words that were being sang you could still feel the power of God moving and stirring the hearts of the people! 

I was humbled by this great move of God as we worshiped with the precious people there. I couldn't help but think, God is right here in this little village, in a place that most people in the world will never know about, and never even see. But Jesus Christ was there! His presence is a gift. It is a blessing and a privilege. One that so many of us take for granted. 

As I stood to preach you could already sense the anticipation and expectancy in the church. After all, God had graced us with his powerful presence, why would we not expect and anticipate His Word? I preached the message "Jesus is Still the Same", from Hebrews 13:8...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)

The altars filled with hungry souls weeping and crying out to God. You see, the presence of God makes the difference! Without his presence we are alone, we are lifeless. But the Spirit of God breathes life into the dry places and fills us with power to accomplish what God has laid on our hearts to do! 

And the thing is, God WANTS to be with us! He wants us to be in his presence. But there are people who are not hungry and they don't want what God has for their life. What God offers they usually refuse. They don't refuse it by the words that they speak, but by their actions they refuse God's great gift.

It's like a tamale! Have you ever had a tamale? Probably not like anything that we had after church. These tamales were corn tortillas, thick corn tortillas, with chicken inside. When I say chicken inside I mean the "whole" chicken, bones and all! But they were a gift, and you have got to eat it. I received mine with gladness and ate both of my tamales, picking through the bones with dedicated caution. Others received theirs but weren't as eager to eat them. They were different that's for sure. One by one we ALL ate the tamales that we had been given, some more reluctant than others. 

I think sometimes we treat God's presence like we treated the tamales. They were there and available to all of us, some of us received them gladly and ate the tamales, others just weren't hungry so it was a little tougher, but then there were some who just didn't want them. Those people I laughed at, and I even helped a couple of them finish their tamales. 

God doesn't get offended like people do when we don't eat the food, but the Word does say not to grieve the Holy Spirit. God grieves when people resist or refuse his power and presence. He grieves because he has so much for us and we live with so little! 

I challenge you to recieve God's presence with open mind and heart! Pray for a hunger and thirst for more of him. It is his pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Oh, by the way, I have some tamales left over, and they are for you! 

Weak Signals and Busted Hoses

Have you ever noticed how many times something that you planned doesn't quite turn out like you thought it would? Someone once said that life is full of surprises, and in Guatemala you can multiply that by ten. 

Since we've been here we have had an issue with our internet signal that has caused some frustration because we can't talk to our families as we would like to. But again, there isn't much that we can do about it. These are things that are beyond our control. I think it is interesting that sometimes we get upset over things that we can't control. It would be good if we could all just learn to place those things in our Heavenly Father's hands. Let him worry about the weather, airplanes and people (things we can't control) and we will be free to do the work that he has called us to do! 

I want to go back to the "signal" issue for a moment. A signal is a connection, an invisible, but very real connection. This signal connects us to people that we are far from physically. A connection that brings us close again, even though we are not together. Although earthly signals get cut off and grow weak, I am thankful that our connection with God is never cut off, and it never grows weak. His Word reminds us that even when we are weak he is strong! The signal that I am referring to is Grace! We need his grace to sustain us and give us strength when we feel like our signal is weak.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)

God's signal never grows weak and is never interrupted by outside forces. But that doesn't stop the outside forces (Satan) from trying to distract and divide and rob us of our strength.

On our way to the Village yesterday we started up the mountain and the truck ran hot and cut off. Here we are again, on the side of the road, trying to do God's work and go preach, and now we are sitting on the side of the road and waiting for help to arrive. The problem? A busted hose, the radiator was empty, no water (for the non-mechanics, that is not a good thing)! Busted hoses lead to empty radiators. So what's the point? You know what a hose is right? Right? Okay, I'll tell you, it's a CONNECTION! There was a weakness in the connection that caused the radiator to be empty of what was necessary for the vehicle to run properly. 

I wonder how many Christians are trying to serve The Lord with a weak signal and a busted hose? We try to go on our own strength and we try to climb mountains not relying on God's grace, and when we do we are going to find our selves weak and empty. Are you missing a connection with The Lord today? His grace is enough! He is full of grace and truth, and he can fill you with strength and power to live and serve him each and everyday.

Well, our first day was a doozy and I'm sure more surprises and challenges await us around each turn and over each mountain top, but thankfully, unlike the internet and the hose, God's strength never fails! 

The Way of the Transgressor

Today I learned a very important lesson in regards to living this life. This morning I decided to get up early and go on a "short" run before Kaye and the boys got up. The resort here at Disney has a map of the running trail that is 2.5 miles long, by the way I have this map with me!
So I am running along the path that is marked out for me, and I get to this cross road. I look up ahead and I see another person running this other path, so I decided to follow this "other" path, thinking, this will lead back around to the path that I need to be on. So I take this path, not on the map, and I am running, and running (insert Forrest Gump voice here), and running. I am starting to think, maybe this is not the path I need to be on. At this point I have probably run about 4 miles, and then I see the person who was up ahead of me, running back toward me! Yeah, not a good sign. This path was a dead end!
So I turned around and had to run all the way back to the original path, remember, the one that was marked out for me? I finally made it back to the right path. The one I should have stayed on before. What started out as a short 2 mile run ended up being about a 5 or 6 mile run. Why? Because I decided to follow someone else, I decided to trust my own understanding instead of looking at the map where the path was already laid out for me.
As I ran back I began to laugh and myself, as I'm sure you have already done, and I thought of this verse...
Proverbs 13:15 (KJV) ¹⁵ Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. 

Because I chose to go my own way, my path became much harder than it should have been. Aren't so many of us like this today? We have God's Word but we choose to follow other people, or we choose to reason things out, and go our own way!

What happens? We end up having a much harder road than what we would have than if we would just have trusted God's Word. His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. If we look to God's Word he will guide us in the right path, even though other paths may look fine, they may seem to lead us to good places, anything but Christ will lead to a dead end.

The way of the transgressor is hard. I transgressed. I went on a path that wasn't marked for me. I paid the price in miles ran. Thankfully, that is just more calories burned in this case! But what about life? We cannot afford to travel the wrong path with our families. Dad, someone is following you! Mom, someone is watching you! Which path are you walking? 

When we take the wrong path the only way off that path is to do what I did - turn around. My way was harder because I chose to ignore the obvious, I chose to follow someone else, I chose to listen to reason. In my case today I am not hurt, but in some cases, people continue to travel the wrong path, thinking that things will change, thinking by chance that your life will change, circumstances will get better. 

But the truth is, things will never change until you turn around, and get back on the right path, the only Way - Jesus! 

So remember today, whatever you do, if you have a map (God's Word) - Follow it! Take it from a fellow transgressor, "your" way is NOT better!

Adventures in Israel: The Final Chapter

So I have been home about a week and a half now and many people have asked me to blog about my trip since I've been home. When people have asked me about my trip I can usually only think of one word that adequately describes how I felt about this trip - Awesome!
Several have asked the question, "What one thing about the trip stands out to you?" Or, "What was your favorite thing about Israel?" The answer to these questions is not easy to come by. The entire trip was almost like a dream, as we literally walked in the places where the Bible actually happened!
One day standing on top of Mount Carmel and seeing the place where Elijah prayed and the fire of God fell on the sacrifice! The next day sailing in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, imagining Jesus standing up on the bow of the boat and commanding the wind to cease! Then walking in the city of Jerusalem and the City of David, the Upper Room, the Garden Tomb! What word would you use to describe all of these events and places? Awesome? I thought so! Me too!
But if I had to pick one place that really impacted me while I was in Israel, it would have to be the Garden of Gethsemane. In Gethsemane Jesus prayed and began to sweat great drops of blood. It was there he was betrayed by Judas with a kiss, it was there his disciples deserted him, and left him alone.
We were given the opportunity to get alone and spend time in prayer. I chose a tree and I knelt in prayer. I thought of the night Jesus would have prayed here. It seemed to be such a special place. I guess for me it represents the ultimate love of the Savior for me. Because it was there that he could have changed his mind! Do you realize that Jesus GAVE his life for you and me? No one took it from him. If he had wanted to he could have ended it there! It was in Gethsemane that Jesus spoke these words after Peter had cut off the servant of the High Priest's ear...

Matthew 26:53 (NKJV) ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus could have ended it all in Gethsemane but he didn't! He went through with the whole crucifixion for me. Gethsemane represents so much about the love of Jesus for me, and I wasn't expecting that from this place. I expected much more from the Garden Tomb, or from Golgotha! But the road to Golgotha, and the victory of the Garden Tomb went right through the Garden of Gethsemane! Think about it, So much happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that Jesus prayed, "Father let this cup pass from me! Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done!" What was Jesus saying? He was saying, Father if there is any other way then save me from this awful fate! But there was no other way, and so Jesus submitted to the will of the Father, and it happened in Gethsemane.

That's my perspective on my Adventures in Israel! But ultimately we need to realize that God is with us! We don't have to travel to Israel to be close to him. It is as simple and getting on your knees right where you are and talking with him! It as easy to take your Bible and open its pages and hear his still small voice whispering to you!

As a matter of fact, as you talk with him and draw close to him, you may find that you have begun your very own adventure!

Adventures in Israel: Day 10

Well it is official! We have finished our ten day tour of the Holy Land! I can't even begin to put into words the joy that I feel. One word that comes to my mind is "grace!" Grace is unmerited favor. God giving you something that you really don't deserve. This last twelve days has been a feast of God's grace in my life!
I have been trying to give you a report of what I have seen and heard this week so that I can share with you the experience that I am having. I can tell you that my life has been changed. My heart is overflowing with God's love, joy, and peace!
This morning we went to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. This is the place where Jesus was taken after he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is also the place where Peter denies Jesus three times! The Bible tells us that Peter followed Jesus from afar. I wonder how many of us are really following Jesus from afar? If we are following from afar, it won't be long until we begin to deny Jesus!
We were also in the place where they probably held Jesus until they were able to try him. It was an old water cistern. We were in this cistern and we were singing Above All! As we sang I just began to weep! I wept as I thought about Jesus taking my place! Listen to the words of the song,
"Crucified, laid behind a stone, he lived to die, rejected and alone, like a rose trampled on the ground, he took the fall, and thought of me, Above all!"
What a powerful reminder of what Jesus has done for us! Everything that he did, he did for us! Everything that he suffered, he suffered for us! I was just overwhelmed being in this place where Jesus gave it all. I also put a picture of the road outside where very likely they brought Jesus up to Caiaphas' house.
I added a picture that shows where we were. You can see the hole at the top. This is where they lowered Jesus through and lifted him out again. The thought that came to my mind was, "he brought me up out of a horrible pit, and set my feet upon a rock!"Jesus was put in a pit so that I could get out. So as I stood there in that pit, I was reminded of my own sin and how Jesus loved me so much that he died that I might live!
We also went to Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity! This is the place where it is believed Jesus was born. Most of the places like this in Israel have churches built over them. The reason for that is that if they didn't build a church, the Muslims would build a mosque. On this site of the nativity there are three churches, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic. And when I say there are three churches, I mean they are under the same roof! I thought that was a little weird, but apparently it works for them.
We went downstairs where they had a star on the floor in the very spot where they believe Jesus was born and where he was laid in the manger.
This week I have been from Galilee to Bethlehem, from The Mount of Olives to the Garden of Getsemane. I have been from Caiaphas' house to the Garden Tomb. I have literally walked where our Lord walked! I don't understand why people do not surrender everything to Christ and follow him. He is real, he is alive, and he is coming again!
We leave early in the morning to head back to the states. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it! May The Lord richly bless you and keep you! I will see you Sunday!

Adventures in Israel: Day 9

Today we started out with the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. It was very emotional and very moving to hear how 6 million Jews were murdered for no other reason than being a Jew. They took us to a children's memorial and outside of the memorial they had a slab of rock with rebar sticking up out of it. The reason is that rebar is used in a foundation, but when the children were destroyed there was no foundation!
I see the United States doing almost the same thing with the murder of millions of unborn babies! We are destroying the foundation and heritage that God has blessed us with!
Something interesting is that we are here during the Feast of Weeks in Israel! Many of you might recognize that as the Feast of Pentecost. I thought it was exciting because we were able to go this afternoon to the upper room where Jesus and his disciples ate the last supper, and where the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost!
Our day ended today at the Garden Tomb with communion! What a sense of humility and love that I felt as I stood in the place where Jesus rose from the dead!
This has been the most significant experience in my Christian life this far! I don't know what God has in store for my life, but my desire is to follow him for the rest of it!

Blessings,
Pastor Jason