Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Algunas palabras en "Spanish"
Hola, hola a nuestros amigos hispanos. Decidi que ya habia pasado mucho tiempo para nosotros a no tener algunas entradas en espan~ol. Aunque mi computador no me deja poner los tildes ni otras cositas, voy a hacer lo mejor que posible.
Primeramente a contarles que nos encontramos bien, gracias a la misericordia de nuestro gran Dios Padre y nuestro Salvador Jesucristo. Aqui en Michigan estamos super ocupados con las cosas en la iglesia, con la escuela de los chiquitos (Elizabeth y Danielito) y bueno con la vida en general. Me parece que estaremos aun mas ocupado en los dias siguientes cuando vamos a estar visitando varias iglesias compartiendoles acerca del ministerio alla en Chiloe, Chile.
Extran~amos mucho a la gente de Curaco de Velez. Ojala que Dios nos permite a regresar pronto para reestablecernos en la comunidad. Que la gente pueda ver el amor de Dios manifestado en y atraves de Su Hijo Jesucristo! Y a pesar de nosotros no estando alla, nos da mucho consuelo que Jorge y Vivi estan ministrando a la gente en nuestro lugar. A Uds. que oran por el ministerio, les pido que por favor orasen mucho por estos hermanos y el labor que nuestro Dios ha puesto en su camino. Que ellos sean encontrados fieles al Sen~or y a Su ministerio.
Bueno, podria seguir escribiendo pero ya estoy super cansado y man~ana va a estar igual o mas ocupada que hoy. Me voy a despedir de Uds. con estos ultimos pensamientos.....
Dios nos creo en Su imagen y en Su semejanza. Todos de nosotros hemos pecado. Merecemos el castigo de Dios pero en vez de castigo, El nos ofrece perdon. Sublime gracia. Imaginanse.
"Al que no conocio pecado, por nosotros lo hizo pecado, para que nosotros fuesemos hechos justicia de Dios en El." 2a Corintios 5:21 Gloria a Dios! Alabado sea el Sen~or!
Primeramente a contarles que nos encontramos bien, gracias a la misericordia de nuestro gran Dios Padre y nuestro Salvador Jesucristo. Aqui en Michigan estamos super ocupados con las cosas en la iglesia, con la escuela de los chiquitos (Elizabeth y Danielito) y bueno con la vida en general. Me parece que estaremos aun mas ocupado en los dias siguientes cuando vamos a estar visitando varias iglesias compartiendoles acerca del ministerio alla en Chiloe, Chile.
Extran~amos mucho a la gente de Curaco de Velez. Ojala que Dios nos permite a regresar pronto para reestablecernos en la comunidad. Que la gente pueda ver el amor de Dios manifestado en y atraves de Su Hijo Jesucristo! Y a pesar de nosotros no estando alla, nos da mucho consuelo que Jorge y Vivi estan ministrando a la gente en nuestro lugar. A Uds. que oran por el ministerio, les pido que por favor orasen mucho por estos hermanos y el labor que nuestro Dios ha puesto en su camino. Que ellos sean encontrados fieles al Sen~or y a Su ministerio.
Bueno, podria seguir escribiendo pero ya estoy super cansado y man~ana va a estar igual o mas ocupada que hoy. Me voy a despedir de Uds. con estos ultimos pensamientos.....
Dios nos creo en Su imagen y en Su semejanza. Todos de nosotros hemos pecado. Merecemos el castigo de Dios pero en vez de castigo, El nos ofrece perdon. Sublime gracia. Imaginanse.
"Al que no conocio pecado, por nosotros lo hizo pecado, para que nosotros fuesemos hechos justicia de Dios en El." 2a Corintios 5:21 Gloria a Dios! Alabado sea el Sen~or!
Monday, September 25, 2006
We're back!
Hey, it feels good to be back in the "blogosphere". I'm not sure if that's actually the correct wording, but it is good to be back to blogging about God's gracious working in and through the ministry of Grace Baptist Church.
It has been around 5 months since the last blog, just before we left from Curaco. Why you may ask did we take so long off from informing you of the happenings? Well, it definitely hasn't been for a lack of things to fill you in on. Much is going on at Grace Baptist Church in Curaco.
As mentioned before, our last blog found us preparing to leave from Curaco and come back to the States. Our departure was bittersweet. Whereas we knew that we were to go back to see and share with many of our loved ones, we also knew that we would be leaving the little flock at Grace Baptist Church and the many people of Curaco that we were hoping to reach with the gospel. Well, now we are back in Michigan and excited about our opportunities to minister here and equally as excited about the current and future ministry in Curaco.
When we left from Curaco in April, the assembly was meeting in an old building without any modern conveniences. No water, no bathroom, no electricity, etc. But we praised the Lord for the place that He gave us to meet together and worship Him. It was beautiful to see the group of people that the Lord brought together: men, women, boys and girls. Many hearing the gospel story for the first time. And as we read from the Scripture, about the Scripture, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Just two months ago in late July I (Daniel) made a two week trip down to southern Chile. The main purpose of the trip was to encourage our partners in ministry, to check on the well-being of the sheep, put on a VBS, and do some intense discipleship and teaching. Our co-workers Jorge and Viviana were being faithful in their shepherding of the sheep and they were all greatly encouraged by the visit. It was also a wonderful time to strengthen some relationships and start some new ones.
The last night that I was in Curaco I went to play basketball at the local gym. Right before we started to play, a friend named Omar came up to tell me that the building that we had been using for our services was about to be demolished and that we (obviously) were going to need to find some where else to have our services. I thanked him for the heads up and spent the rest of my time in the gym not only playing hoops but also playing scenarios around in my head of what we could do about obtaining a new place to hold our worship gatherings. I returned to the house and shared with our partners in ministry about this new challenge. Interestingly enough we had just went through a study on the providence of God and prayer. So we got to business. We prayed about it and trusted that God would make a way where there seemed to be no way.
And He did!!! (Of course)
The next morning I spoke to Jorge and I encouraged him to talk to the man who had rented us a building to use as a fitness center. This is the man, Francisco, who told us that we could rent the building to use as a fitness center, but not as a church. His reasoning behind this was to avoid persecution for himself. But over the past six months we had built a pretty good friendship and I felt that the Lord was leading us to approach Francisco about this matter. And he said "Yes!"
So now the assembly is meeting in a place where there is water, a bathroom and electricity. What a huge change! Please pray that the Lord would draw Francisco and his family into a saving relationship with Himself. There is much opposition to the gospel in Curaco and we want so much for there to be a testimony to His glorious grace.
Now we are in the process of raising the funds necessary to return to Curaco for the long-term. We are seeing our calendar fill up with opportunities to share the ministry in other churches and we are of course praying that the Lord would touch the hearts of people that He would have be a part of this exciting ministry.
Please pray for us, that we would be found faithful to share the gospel as we ought.
(Ephesians 6:19) Thank you again for your prayers and your support on behalf of us and the people of Curaco de Velez.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
It has been around 5 months since the last blog, just before we left from Curaco. Why you may ask did we take so long off from informing you of the happenings? Well, it definitely hasn't been for a lack of things to fill you in on. Much is going on at Grace Baptist Church in Curaco.
As mentioned before, our last blog found us preparing to leave from Curaco and come back to the States. Our departure was bittersweet. Whereas we knew that we were to go back to see and share with many of our loved ones, we also knew that we would be leaving the little flock at Grace Baptist Church and the many people of Curaco that we were hoping to reach with the gospel. Well, now we are back in Michigan and excited about our opportunities to minister here and equally as excited about the current and future ministry in Curaco.
When we left from Curaco in April, the assembly was meeting in an old building without any modern conveniences. No water, no bathroom, no electricity, etc. But we praised the Lord for the place that He gave us to meet together and worship Him. It was beautiful to see the group of people that the Lord brought together: men, women, boys and girls. Many hearing the gospel story for the first time. And as we read from the Scripture, about the Scripture, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Just two months ago in late July I (Daniel) made a two week trip down to southern Chile. The main purpose of the trip was to encourage our partners in ministry, to check on the well-being of the sheep, put on a VBS, and do some intense discipleship and teaching. Our co-workers Jorge and Viviana were being faithful in their shepherding of the sheep and they were all greatly encouraged by the visit. It was also a wonderful time to strengthen some relationships and start some new ones.
The last night that I was in Curaco I went to play basketball at the local gym. Right before we started to play, a friend named Omar came up to tell me that the building that we had been using for our services was about to be demolished and that we (obviously) were going to need to find some where else to have our services. I thanked him for the heads up and spent the rest of my time in the gym not only playing hoops but also playing scenarios around in my head of what we could do about obtaining a new place to hold our worship gatherings. I returned to the house and shared with our partners in ministry about this new challenge. Interestingly enough we had just went through a study on the providence of God and prayer. So we got to business. We prayed about it and trusted that God would make a way where there seemed to be no way.
And He did!!! (Of course)
The next morning I spoke to Jorge and I encouraged him to talk to the man who had rented us a building to use as a fitness center. This is the man, Francisco, who told us that we could rent the building to use as a fitness center, but not as a church. His reasoning behind this was to avoid persecution for himself. But over the past six months we had built a pretty good friendship and I felt that the Lord was leading us to approach Francisco about this matter. And he said "Yes!"
So now the assembly is meeting in a place where there is water, a bathroom and electricity. What a huge change! Please pray that the Lord would draw Francisco and his family into a saving relationship with Himself. There is much opposition to the gospel in Curaco and we want so much for there to be a testimony to His glorious grace.
Now we are in the process of raising the funds necessary to return to Curaco for the long-term. We are seeing our calendar fill up with opportunities to share the ministry in other churches and we are of course praying that the Lord would touch the hearts of people that He would have be a part of this exciting ministry.
Please pray for us, that we would be found faithful to share the gospel as we ought.
(Ephesians 6:19) Thank you again for your prayers and your support on behalf of us and the people of Curaco de Velez.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
Friday, April 14, 2006
Special Ops
Do we see the work that we do for the Lord as a special, mega important mission? We certainly should see it as such. (1st Cor 15:58; 2nd Tim 2:3-4) And so cool to think that the Lord has also promised to reward us for the work that we do in His name. (Matt 25:34-40; 1st Cor 3:12-15). It definitely is a privilege for us to be serving the Lord here in the harvest field called Curaco de Velez. (John 4:35)
The past couple of weeks have been a flurry of special opportunities that the Lord has given us to serve Him and to make His grace known to the people of this small and remote island. We hope that the Lord has found us faithful in the opportunities that He has given us and that we would be found faithful in the opportunities to come.
We received a special visit the week of April 1 thru 8 as a five person group from our sending church at North Casnovia Baptist came down and ministered unto us and the people of Curaco. The group was busy throughout the week, seeing the ladies put on cooking classes and crafting. Intertweaved into these times were Bible studies and the sharing of testimonies of the Lord's working in our ladies lives. The ladies of the community really liked these times and we were glad to see at least one of the ladies in our Sunday service following the team's departure. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will use His Word in the lives of the ladies and of course the lives of their husbands and children. Please pray for these people and the ongoing contact that we hope to have with them.
We have been encouraged by the response that we have received from the community in regards to our Sunday services. With the children we have seen a high of 35 for our Sunday School, and for the adults we have had a high of 11 for our worship service. Please pray for these people and that the Word of the Lord would grow deeper and deeper into their hearts.
We look forward to having a special time of sharing and reflection as we celebrate the Lord's Supper with our brothers this evening. We will be taking some special time to remember what the Lord Jesus did for us some 1,975 years ago. (approximately) And then on Sunday we will have our service when we will of course be emphasizing the rescurrection of the Lord Jesus and its implications for our lives.
We are seeing our time here in Curaco winding down as we will be returning to the States for a time in order to broaden our base of support with the hope of being able to return shortly to continue the work that has begun here in Curaco. If you would like to hear more about the ministry or if you would like us to come and speak to your church about what's going on down here, please drop us a e-mail at danruthyliz@yahoo.com
Please be praying for our co-workers, Jorge and Viviana. They are Chilean believers who have been with us here for the past several months and they plan on holding the spiritual ropes as we are gone for a time. Pray specifically for wisdom and for our brothers to keep their focus upon the Lord Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of their (and our) faith. (Heb 12:2)
So, there you have a short note on what's been going on here. Lots of people hearing the Word of the Lord and hopefully lots of people seeing it lived out before them. May the Lord's blessing be evident in your lives and ministries as you along with us seek to be found faithful to the One who has called you into His service.
For the King alone,
Daniel (for Ruth, the kids, and the rest at Grace Baptist Church)
The past couple of weeks have been a flurry of special opportunities that the Lord has given us to serve Him and to make His grace known to the people of this small and remote island. We hope that the Lord has found us faithful in the opportunities that He has given us and that we would be found faithful in the opportunities to come.
We received a special visit the week of April 1 thru 8 as a five person group from our sending church at North Casnovia Baptist came down and ministered unto us and the people of Curaco. The group was busy throughout the week, seeing the ladies put on cooking classes and crafting. Intertweaved into these times were Bible studies and the sharing of testimonies of the Lord's working in our ladies lives. The ladies of the community really liked these times and we were glad to see at least one of the ladies in our Sunday service following the team's departure. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will use His Word in the lives of the ladies and of course the lives of their husbands and children. Please pray for these people and the ongoing contact that we hope to have with them.
We have been encouraged by the response that we have received from the community in regards to our Sunday services. With the children we have seen a high of 35 for our Sunday School, and for the adults we have had a high of 11 for our worship service. Please pray for these people and that the Word of the Lord would grow deeper and deeper into their hearts.
We look forward to having a special time of sharing and reflection as we celebrate the Lord's Supper with our brothers this evening. We will be taking some special time to remember what the Lord Jesus did for us some 1,975 years ago. (approximately) And then on Sunday we will have our service when we will of course be emphasizing the rescurrection of the Lord Jesus and its implications for our lives.
We are seeing our time here in Curaco winding down as we will be returning to the States for a time in order to broaden our base of support with the hope of being able to return shortly to continue the work that has begun here in Curaco. If you would like to hear more about the ministry or if you would like us to come and speak to your church about what's going on down here, please drop us a e-mail at danruthyliz@yahoo.com
Please be praying for our co-workers, Jorge and Viviana. They are Chilean believers who have been with us here for the past several months and they plan on holding the spiritual ropes as we are gone for a time. Pray specifically for wisdom and for our brothers to keep their focus upon the Lord Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of their (and our) faith. (Heb 12:2)
So, there you have a short note on what's been going on here. Lots of people hearing the Word of the Lord and hopefully lots of people seeing it lived out before them. May the Lord's blessing be evident in your lives and ministries as you along with us seek to be found faithful to the One who has called you into His service.
For the King alone,
Daniel (for Ruth, the kids, and the rest at Grace Baptist Church)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The little children came!
We read in the gospel of Luke and chapter 18 the Lord Jesus admonishing the disciples to "let the little children come to me for of such is the Kingdom of God." On the invitations that we passed out in the community, making known to the people of our first "official" service, we included this verse. And so of course it was great to see the little children come out and hear the gospel. (it appears that their parents took that verse seriously) What a privilege to tell them about the wonderful news that God the Father has sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Our little room was almost filled to capacity with little ones. (Good thing that they are little!) Please pray along with us that the Lord would draw them to Himself and that they would keep coming and hear the gospel again and again.
The building in which we are meeting is quite interesting. There is no electricity. There is no water. No bathroom. Nor an outhouse for that matter. But it is a place where we can openly invite people to hear the gospel. And that is what we consider the most important thing of all. We are currently praying for a piece of land on which to build a ministry center. Please help us pray for the Lord's will to be done. Seeing this dream become a reality would be a real testimony to the grace of the Lord.
Whereas we had a really good number of children in our first "Sunday School hour", the number of adults was significantly less. However we were encouraged by those who came out and look forward to following up with them and would ask that you especially be praying for a couple of people: Juan, Jasmina, Anita, and Omar. Pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth of the gospel.
We are already looking forward to next Sunday's services. Over lunch we discussed some of the things that seemed to have went well and some things that potentially we will do differently. We want to make sure that we conduct ourselves as a solid New Testament style church: orderly and passionately praising the Savior and His our Heavenly Father.
Before I sign off I will include some more prayer requests. Please pray for a woman named Maria and her numerous children and grandchildren. They are some real needy people. Spiritually, emotionally, and financially. May they encounter what they need in the Lord and may we as His people have compassion and discernment in how we minister unto them. Please pray for the relationships that we are cultivating with the people down here. It has been cool to get to know them more and for them to see that we are committed to them and to seeing a gospel church established here in Curaco. Please pray for some ideas that we are considering on how to have more contact with the people here; may the Lord illuminate our minds. Also please pray for the group from North Casnovia Baptist in Bailey (our sending church) that will be coming down to minister with us in the next couple of weeks. May the Lord be greatly glorified both in and through their lives.
So again we say thank you for your friendship and for your interest in the gospel ministry here in Curaco de Velez. We greatly appreciate your prayers and we are encouraged as we see God answering them for His glory. May you and may we keep it clear that God's glory is the reason that we do what we do. (1st Cor 10:31; Col 3:16-17; Ps 115:1)
Grace to you all,
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
The building in which we are meeting is quite interesting. There is no electricity. There is no water. No bathroom. Nor an outhouse for that matter. But it is a place where we can openly invite people to hear the gospel. And that is what we consider the most important thing of all. We are currently praying for a piece of land on which to build a ministry center. Please help us pray for the Lord's will to be done. Seeing this dream become a reality would be a real testimony to the grace of the Lord.
Whereas we had a really good number of children in our first "Sunday School hour", the number of adults was significantly less. However we were encouraged by those who came out and look forward to following up with them and would ask that you especially be praying for a couple of people: Juan, Jasmina, Anita, and Omar. Pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth of the gospel.
We are already looking forward to next Sunday's services. Over lunch we discussed some of the things that seemed to have went well and some things that potentially we will do differently. We want to make sure that we conduct ourselves as a solid New Testament style church: orderly and passionately praising the Savior and His our Heavenly Father.
Before I sign off I will include some more prayer requests. Please pray for a woman named Maria and her numerous children and grandchildren. They are some real needy people. Spiritually, emotionally, and financially. May they encounter what they need in the Lord and may we as His people have compassion and discernment in how we minister unto them. Please pray for the relationships that we are cultivating with the people down here. It has been cool to get to know them more and for them to see that we are committed to them and to seeing a gospel church established here in Curaco. Please pray for some ideas that we are considering on how to have more contact with the people here; may the Lord illuminate our minds. Also please pray for the group from North Casnovia Baptist in Bailey (our sending church) that will be coming down to minister with us in the next couple of weeks. May the Lord be greatly glorified both in and through their lives.
So again we say thank you for your friendship and for your interest in the gospel ministry here in Curaco de Velez. We greatly appreciate your prayers and we are encouraged as we see God answering them for His glory. May you and may we keep it clear that God's glory is the reason that we do what we do. (1st Cor 10:31; Col 3:16-17; Ps 115:1)
Grace to you all,
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Quick update
Greetings to you all. Here is a quick update from your friends down here in southern Chile. It has been about two weeks since I last wrote. Not due to the fact that I haven't had anything to say, just been busy with other things. No excuse for not having added to this sooner, so for those who actually read this in order to be more informed about the ministry down here: sorry!
Now, when I titled this blog "Quick update" I wasn't joking. I am actually going to sign off after a couple of more lines. We have our "launch service" tomorrow morning and I want to go get some ZZZZZ's. I will write tomorrow in the late afternoon/early evening with a more thorough report on what's been going on. Until then, (and after for that matter) may the Lord's grace be evident in your life and ministry.
Daniel
Now, when I titled this blog "Quick update" I wasn't joking. I am actually going to sign off after a couple of more lines. We have our "launch service" tomorrow morning and I want to go get some ZZZZZ's. I will write tomorrow in the late afternoon/early evening with a more thorough report on what's been going on. Until then, (and after for that matter) may the Lord's grace be evident in your life and ministry.
Daniel
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Prayer Team: Activate
I remember back to when I was a kid. A long time ago for those of you who are younger than me and not so long ago for those who are a bit older. One of my favorite cartoons to watch was called the "Superfriends". There was of course Superman, Wonderwoman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Flash, and many more. But some of the more interesting to me were the ones called the "Wonder Twins". (They had this monkey along named "Gleek" but I was never too impressed by him) These two, a brother and sister, had the abilities to transform into different forms. If I remember correctly the sister had the ability to transform to any kind of solid substance i.e. animal, bridge, garbage truck, etc. And the brother was able to occupy any form and shape of liquid i.e. ice, lava, snow, etc. Needless to say it was pretty cool some of the things that they pulled off. Obviously a bit farfetched, but hey it was a cartoon. What else should one expect. But anyway, when they wanted to do some of these cool things it was necessary for them to somehow touch hands with one another and say "Wonder Twins' Powers: Activate." If they didn't touch their hands together and if they didn't say those words, nothing would happen. So, why do I bring all of this up today? Well, just to illustrate that we need each other and the help that each one can give to accomplish the tasks that lie before us.
The task at hand is prayer. We have been facing some interesting challenges the last couple of days. We are noticing that there is some real opposition to the spread of the gospel here in Curaco de Velez. We know that ultimately behind this opposition is our enemy at work, using human pawns to complete with his dastardly plans. As the Scripture says, we are not unaware of his attacks. So what we are asking from you all is that you would hold your hands out with ours and call out to the Lord on behalf of the people of Curaco de Velez. This way we can activate the power that is available from the Lord if we His people will only ask Him for it. (Matt 7:7-11; Eph 6:18-20) And of course we do this that He might be greatly glorified through the demonstration of His glorious grace. (Eph 1:6)
One of the greatest challenges that we have been facing is the hardness of the people's hearts to the gospel. Maybe this is also seen where you are living but I imagine that what we see here is a bit different. The people are very hardened in their religion and do not want to hear about the gospel. But to the point that they have not been willing to rent us a building in which to worship due to the fact that we are evangelicals. Just yesterday we were told that renting a facility to us would bring problems upon the owner and problems for us. Of course we are willing to be persecuted for the Lord's sake (John 15:18-25; 17:14; 1st Peter 4:12-19) , but understandably so the unbeliever is not. So, we are still looking for a place to hold services. Today Ruth spoke with someone about the possibility of renting out another place in the town. She was told that the request would be passed onto someone else and that we would have an answer on Thursday. Please pray for these people who are making these decisions. May the Lord move them to make the decisions that seem best to Him. (Prov 21:1) We have come to realize that there are some real strongholds up in this town. Please also pray that the Lord would tear those down and that this town would become a true "city of refuge". A place where people could find peace and forgiveness for their sins. A town in which the gospel would be clearly preached, openly and in an area accessible to all. May God be glorified in Curaco de Velez!
So, Prayer Team, please activate on behalf of the people of Curaco. And also upon our behalf. As mentioned earlier in Eph 6:18-20, please pray that we would share the gospel as we should and of course that the Holy Spirit would work through the preaching of the Word and convict people of sin and that these people would be regenerated and become worshipers of the One True God through His Son Jesus Christ.
May the grace of the Lord be extremely evident in your lives as you seek to be found faithful to the One who has called you into His service.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel and Ruth
The task at hand is prayer. We have been facing some interesting challenges the last couple of days. We are noticing that there is some real opposition to the spread of the gospel here in Curaco de Velez. We know that ultimately behind this opposition is our enemy at work, using human pawns to complete with his dastardly plans. As the Scripture says, we are not unaware of his attacks. So what we are asking from you all is that you would hold your hands out with ours and call out to the Lord on behalf of the people of Curaco de Velez. This way we can activate the power that is available from the Lord if we His people will only ask Him for it. (Matt 7:7-11; Eph 6:18-20) And of course we do this that He might be greatly glorified through the demonstration of His glorious grace. (Eph 1:6)
One of the greatest challenges that we have been facing is the hardness of the people's hearts to the gospel. Maybe this is also seen where you are living but I imagine that what we see here is a bit different. The people are very hardened in their religion and do not want to hear about the gospel. But to the point that they have not been willing to rent us a building in which to worship due to the fact that we are evangelicals. Just yesterday we were told that renting a facility to us would bring problems upon the owner and problems for us. Of course we are willing to be persecuted for the Lord's sake (John 15:18-25; 17:14; 1st Peter 4:12-19) , but understandably so the unbeliever is not. So, we are still looking for a place to hold services. Today Ruth spoke with someone about the possibility of renting out another place in the town. She was told that the request would be passed onto someone else and that we would have an answer on Thursday. Please pray for these people who are making these decisions. May the Lord move them to make the decisions that seem best to Him. (Prov 21:1) We have come to realize that there are some real strongholds up in this town. Please also pray that the Lord would tear those down and that this town would become a true "city of refuge". A place where people could find peace and forgiveness for their sins. A town in which the gospel would be clearly preached, openly and in an area accessible to all. May God be glorified in Curaco de Velez!
So, Prayer Team, please activate on behalf of the people of Curaco. And also upon our behalf. As mentioned earlier in Eph 6:18-20, please pray that we would share the gospel as we should and of course that the Holy Spirit would work through the preaching of the Word and convict people of sin and that these people would be regenerated and become worshipers of the One True God through His Son Jesus Christ.
May the grace of the Lord be extremely evident in your lives as you seek to be found faithful to the One who has called you into His service.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel and Ruth
Sunday, March 05, 2006
A little update from Curaco
Wow. It has been a long time since I sat down to blog. Maybe that is because I felt that I didn't have anything worth blogging or maybe it is because I have felt overwhelmed with all that has been going on as of late. I think it is more of the latter. Busy, busy has been our theme. Not that that is bad; just sometimes things get pushed onto the back burner. This has been one of those times.
We have been busy getting into touch with and staying in touch with the people of Curaco. It has been a real help living here in the "big town". Of course there are some disadvantages of living in town compared to living in the country. It's louder. It's more crowded. There isn't much privacy. But the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks. Come on. Our idea of coming was to have contact with the people. To get to know the people. To live with and among the people. (John 1:14; 1st Cor 9:19-23) What a privilege we have to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That's what our goal is. We want to be a beacon of light. (Matt 5:16) We want the people to see Christ living in and through us. We want the townfolk to know that our God is great!
There has been some new goings on here in our home. We started a couple of weeks ago with Bible studies in the home. We meet on Sunday mornings from 11 am onward and have services for adults and for the little ones. Our meeting area is currently our home. It is a little problematic since we are not specifically allowed to use the home for a church. However we are able to use the home for Bible studies. So, without much advertisement (there is no sign out front) we meet in order to worship the Lord through prayer, song, and the study of His Word. Please pray with us as we seek a place where we can designate to our friends and neighbors as the place (i.e. the church building, the temple, etc.) where we meet together for worship. And then of course pray that they would show up, hear the Word, and worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth as they are saved by grace through faith.
This summer (we're saying adios to nice weather, and you're saying hola to it) we have had the privilege to receive many people into our home. This has been a real blessing to us. Some of our guests have been Christians, but the majority have not been. Some of our non-Christian guests have shown some real interest in the things of the Lord whereas some of them have shown no interest or even disdain for the things of the Lord. But what we seek to do is be faithful to the Lord in sharing with those that He has graciously placed in our path and pray for them, trusting that the result lies in the hands of the Lord.
So, I realize that this letter has been quite general. Not too many detailed details. But let me give you a quick couple of examples of what we have seen the Lord doing. The other day I was coming back from Achao, a town that is about 6 miles from where we live here in Curaco. As I was leaving town I saw some young people with backpacks hitch-hiking. I stopped to pick them up and we started to talk. Where are you from, what are you doing, and the like. They told me how the people in Achao hadn't treated them very well and that they (the young people) had not been very impressed with the hospitality in Achao. So, as we are going to Curaco I am sharing with the youth about the Lord and we get to town and I invite them over to have a bite to eat. They enthusiastically say "yes" because they hadn't eaten in quite a while. We get to the house and it's obvious that the youth are a little bit uncomfortable. We ask them why and they say "You people don't even know us and you are treating us like family." And we tell them that we seek to live as our Master lived and as He teaches us to follow His example. They got some good grub (Ruth made it, so it's gotta be good) and we started to talk more about the things of the Lord. The youth (16,17, and 18 respectively) had lots of questions which I (Daniel) tried my best to answer based upon my understanding of the Scriptures. Christopher, Vanessa, and Yoselin were very interested in the conversation and we pray that the Lord would continue to draw them to Himself according to His holy will. The next day I, Elizabeth, and Daniel were able to help them out with a ride to a good hitch-hiking spot. They quickly got a ride and made it to their homes that same day. Vanessa called and expressed that her parents were very thankful that their daughter had had the "good fortune" of finding nice people to help her on the way. And you know what, that's what we want to be known for. We want to help people on the way (Matt 7:13-14) and to tell them about eternal life offered through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; 14:6; 17:3) We do not know if those young people will or have made a decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, but we do know that they have heard the message and that they have seen it lived out before them. May we be found faithful to serve the Lord as we should.
Another quick example. The kids and I had helped out some hitch-hikers along the way and were returning with a couple more towards the metropolis of Curaco. When along the way I see the silhouette of a man along the side of the road. The guy is laid out and has his head almost in the road. I stopped the truck and got out and went to this guy. He was blind drunk and passed out along the side of the road. Worse yet is the fact that he had his three year old son with him. The boy was sitting in the grass holding his dad's jug of wine. I got the guy and his son into the truck and fortunately the kid was able to tell us where he lived because his dad was totally plastered. We find the home and get the guy out and walking towards his house (he wouldn't let me take him directly to the door) It turns out that some days prior I had helped out this guy's wife. She had a mountain of groceries that she was trying to carry up to her house. I offered to give her a ride. When we got to her the entrance to her home I offered to drive up the hill in order to leave her at the door. She said that this wouldn't be good because her husband is very jealous. I thought that was a sad commentary on the guy, and thought to pray for her and the situation there in the home. Then the Lord gives me the opportunity to help the guy out. I tell you the truth, the guys head could have gotten split open like a watermelon. Please pray for this family and others like it who are suffering from the consequences of living in the darkness instead of in the light. (2nd Cor 4:3-4)
So, there you have a "little" update. There is so much more that I could write about. So many more prayer requests that could be made. But ultimately I will ask you to pray that the Lord would continue to glorify Himself in and through our lives. May we be found faithful to worship the One who has called us out of darkness and into His glorious light. (1st Peter 2:9) Thanks again for all of your prayers and concern for us and for the people of Curaco de Velez. May the grace of the Lord be evident in your lives.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel
We have been busy getting into touch with and staying in touch with the people of Curaco. It has been a real help living here in the "big town". Of course there are some disadvantages of living in town compared to living in the country. It's louder. It's more crowded. There isn't much privacy. But the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks. Come on. Our idea of coming was to have contact with the people. To get to know the people. To live with and among the people. (John 1:14; 1st Cor 9:19-23) What a privilege we have to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That's what our goal is. We want to be a beacon of light. (Matt 5:16) We want the people to see Christ living in and through us. We want the townfolk to know that our God is great!
There has been some new goings on here in our home. We started a couple of weeks ago with Bible studies in the home. We meet on Sunday mornings from 11 am onward and have services for adults and for the little ones. Our meeting area is currently our home. It is a little problematic since we are not specifically allowed to use the home for a church. However we are able to use the home for Bible studies. So, without much advertisement (there is no sign out front) we meet in order to worship the Lord through prayer, song, and the study of His Word. Please pray with us as we seek a place where we can designate to our friends and neighbors as the place (i.e. the church building, the temple, etc.) where we meet together for worship. And then of course pray that they would show up, hear the Word, and worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth as they are saved by grace through faith.
This summer (we're saying adios to nice weather, and you're saying hola to it) we have had the privilege to receive many people into our home. This has been a real blessing to us. Some of our guests have been Christians, but the majority have not been. Some of our non-Christian guests have shown some real interest in the things of the Lord whereas some of them have shown no interest or even disdain for the things of the Lord. But what we seek to do is be faithful to the Lord in sharing with those that He has graciously placed in our path and pray for them, trusting that the result lies in the hands of the Lord.
So, I realize that this letter has been quite general. Not too many detailed details. But let me give you a quick couple of examples of what we have seen the Lord doing. The other day I was coming back from Achao, a town that is about 6 miles from where we live here in Curaco. As I was leaving town I saw some young people with backpacks hitch-hiking. I stopped to pick them up and we started to talk. Where are you from, what are you doing, and the like. They told me how the people in Achao hadn't treated them very well and that they (the young people) had not been very impressed with the hospitality in Achao. So, as we are going to Curaco I am sharing with the youth about the Lord and we get to town and I invite them over to have a bite to eat. They enthusiastically say "yes" because they hadn't eaten in quite a while. We get to the house and it's obvious that the youth are a little bit uncomfortable. We ask them why and they say "You people don't even know us and you are treating us like family." And we tell them that we seek to live as our Master lived and as He teaches us to follow His example. They got some good grub (Ruth made it, so it's gotta be good) and we started to talk more about the things of the Lord. The youth (16,17, and 18 respectively) had lots of questions which I (Daniel) tried my best to answer based upon my understanding of the Scriptures. Christopher, Vanessa, and Yoselin were very interested in the conversation and we pray that the Lord would continue to draw them to Himself according to His holy will. The next day I, Elizabeth, and Daniel were able to help them out with a ride to a good hitch-hiking spot. They quickly got a ride and made it to their homes that same day. Vanessa called and expressed that her parents were very thankful that their daughter had had the "good fortune" of finding nice people to help her on the way. And you know what, that's what we want to be known for. We want to help people on the way (Matt 7:13-14) and to tell them about eternal life offered through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; 14:6; 17:3) We do not know if those young people will or have made a decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, but we do know that they have heard the message and that they have seen it lived out before them. May we be found faithful to serve the Lord as we should.
Another quick example. The kids and I had helped out some hitch-hikers along the way and were returning with a couple more towards the metropolis of Curaco. When along the way I see the silhouette of a man along the side of the road. The guy is laid out and has his head almost in the road. I stopped the truck and got out and went to this guy. He was blind drunk and passed out along the side of the road. Worse yet is the fact that he had his three year old son with him. The boy was sitting in the grass holding his dad's jug of wine. I got the guy and his son into the truck and fortunately the kid was able to tell us where he lived because his dad was totally plastered. We find the home and get the guy out and walking towards his house (he wouldn't let me take him directly to the door) It turns out that some days prior I had helped out this guy's wife. She had a mountain of groceries that she was trying to carry up to her house. I offered to give her a ride. When we got to her the entrance to her home I offered to drive up the hill in order to leave her at the door. She said that this wouldn't be good because her husband is very jealous. I thought that was a sad commentary on the guy, and thought to pray for her and the situation there in the home. Then the Lord gives me the opportunity to help the guy out. I tell you the truth, the guys head could have gotten split open like a watermelon. Please pray for this family and others like it who are suffering from the consequences of living in the darkness instead of in the light. (2nd Cor 4:3-4)
So, there you have a "little" update. There is so much more that I could write about. So many more prayer requests that could be made. But ultimately I will ask you to pray that the Lord would continue to glorify Himself in and through our lives. May we be found faithful to worship the One who has called us out of darkness and into His glorious light. (1st Peter 2:9) Thanks again for all of your prayers and concern for us and for the people of Curaco de Velez. May the grace of the Lord be evident in your lives.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel
Friday, February 03, 2006
It's about time
Time. We seem to have so little of it. What we have seems to go by so quickly. We should be very careful how we use it.
Just this morning I was reminded of something that I did exactly one week ago. At first I found it hard to believe that a whole week, 7 days, 168 hours, a lot of minutes, and a lot of seconds had passed by. But it was the truth. I took a quick moment to think of all that went into the last week, and looking back on it it appeared to be more than a week. We have so many things come into our lives that consume the time that the Lord has given us "on commission". I use that phrase "on commission" recognizing that He is the owner of everything (1st Chronicles 29:14) and that one day we will give an account for how we have used the time and opportunities placed before us and consequently be rewarded; much or little based upon our faithfulness (2nd Corinthians 5:9-10) Let us be found faithful to the Lord in the administration of the time that He has lent us.
In John 4:35 Jesus tells the disciples to check out the fields and notice that they are white unto harvest. How important it is for us to remember that NOW is the time. NOW we are to be out in the harvest fields. NOW we should be bringing in the fruit.
It gives us great joy to be representing the Lord and you His people here in this harvest field called Curaco de Velez. We have been seeing the Lord's hand at work in and through our lives. It is so cool! How important it is for us to remember that it is He who receives the glory when it is weak creatures like us are "doing" the work (1st Corinthians 1:26-29)
In the past week we have made some new and some improved contacts. Last night we had an exceptional time with a couple from whom we had been renting our house. It was wonderful to see and feel the Lord working in and through the lives of His people.
So, my brothers never forget that your work done for the Lord, your time spent in His service is not done in vain (1st Cor 15:58) I mean, that's what it's all about. Redeeming the time (Ephesians 5:16) Glorifying the One who has brought us out of the darkness, and into His glorious light (1st Peter 2:9)
May the blessings of the Lord be evident in your lives as you along with us seek to maximize "your" time and "your" gifts for the glory of the Lord and the edification of His church.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
Just this morning I was reminded of something that I did exactly one week ago. At first I found it hard to believe that a whole week, 7 days, 168 hours, a lot of minutes, and a lot of seconds had passed by. But it was the truth. I took a quick moment to think of all that went into the last week, and looking back on it it appeared to be more than a week. We have so many things come into our lives that consume the time that the Lord has given us "on commission". I use that phrase "on commission" recognizing that He is the owner of everything (1st Chronicles 29:14) and that one day we will give an account for how we have used the time and opportunities placed before us and consequently be rewarded; much or little based upon our faithfulness (2nd Corinthians 5:9-10) Let us be found faithful to the Lord in the administration of the time that He has lent us.
In John 4:35 Jesus tells the disciples to check out the fields and notice that they are white unto harvest. How important it is for us to remember that NOW is the time. NOW we are to be out in the harvest fields. NOW we should be bringing in the fruit.
It gives us great joy to be representing the Lord and you His people here in this harvest field called Curaco de Velez. We have been seeing the Lord's hand at work in and through our lives. It is so cool! How important it is for us to remember that it is He who receives the glory when it is weak creatures like us are "doing" the work (1st Corinthians 1:26-29)
In the past week we have made some new and some improved contacts. Last night we had an exceptional time with a couple from whom we had been renting our house. It was wonderful to see and feel the Lord working in and through the lives of His people.
So, my brothers never forget that your work done for the Lord, your time spent in His service is not done in vain (1st Cor 15:58) I mean, that's what it's all about. Redeeming the time (Ephesians 5:16) Glorifying the One who has brought us out of the darkness, and into His glorious light (1st Peter 2:9)
May the blessings of the Lord be evident in your lives as you along with us seek to maximize "your" time and "your" gifts for the glory of the Lord and the edification of His church.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
A "new" home
Interesting word. New. I believe that it has been said that the true meaning of a word is "all in the way that one uses it." We plan on moving into our new home within the next couple of weeks. This new home is not new in the sense that it has recently been constructed. I would guess that the home is at least 50 or more years old. But in that we have never lived in it before, it is new to us.
You may ask for what reason we decided to leave the "old" home (7 years old) for the "new" home (50 plus years old). Well, as they say in real estate "Three important factors: location, location, location." The house that we currently live in is about a mile and a half from town. Honestly, the distance isn't great but it's location does make it a little more difficult for people to stop by and visit us. So, we have been praying and looking for something in town. And just when we felt that it didn't seem to be in the Lord's plans for us, this "new" house made itself available. We see this as an excellent opportunity to get to know more of the people in town and for them to be able to hear the good news that salvation is available through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
Please be praying for us and for our testimony in the community. We are glad that we have been getting to know more people and we pray that each contact would bear fruit and fruit that would last. May the Lord be glorified in and through our lives.
We currently have a couple of Bible studies going and a couple of new ones on the horizon. Please pray for us, that the Lord would give us opportunities to speak as to His glorious grace, and that the Holy Spirit would powerfully work through the preaching of the Word. (Rom 10:17)
Thank you all again for your love, friendship, and partnership in the gospel.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
You may ask for what reason we decided to leave the "old" home (7 years old) for the "new" home (50 plus years old). Well, as they say in real estate "Three important factors: location, location, location." The house that we currently live in is about a mile and a half from town. Honestly, the distance isn't great but it's location does make it a little more difficult for people to stop by and visit us. So, we have been praying and looking for something in town. And just when we felt that it didn't seem to be in the Lord's plans for us, this "new" house made itself available. We see this as an excellent opportunity to get to know more of the people in town and for them to be able to hear the good news that salvation is available through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
Please be praying for us and for our testimony in the community. We are glad that we have been getting to know more people and we pray that each contact would bear fruit and fruit that would last. May the Lord be glorified in and through our lives.
We currently have a couple of Bible studies going and a couple of new ones on the horizon. Please pray for us, that the Lord would give us opportunities to speak as to His glorious grace, and that the Holy Spirit would powerfully work through the preaching of the Word. (Rom 10:17)
Thank you all again for your love, friendship, and partnership in the gospel.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)
Thursday, January 12, 2006
A house of worship
Greetings to you all in the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We pray that this letter finds you doing well, basking in the Lord's glorious grace. As has been said before (in anterior blogging), all that we have is a benefit derived from the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. If it weren't for Him and what He has done for us, what would we have? We would be cursed instead of blessed. We would be poor instead of rich. (I'm talking in spiritual terms here. Please don't post comments accusing me of preaching a health and wealth gospel.) We should be constantly thanking the Father for His Son Jesus Christ. And thanking Jesus for His humility in coming to this earth that He had created in order to die for those that He had created. Those that showed their scorn for Him. Those who showed their scorn for His Father and His Word. Those who like us, all went their own way as seemed best to them. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you Father. Thank you Jesus. Instead of pouring wrath out upon us, you shower us with blessings.
So, what should our response be? How about worship? Recognizing the Lord for who He is and for what He has done. How beautiful is the song "My Tribute". And I am not referring to the melody. I am referring to the words. What do we have that we could ever give Him in order to repay Him for what He has done for us? Obviously, nothing. Well, almost nothing. What we can give to Him already pertains to Him, so it actually doesn't pertain to us. As the song says, "To God be the glory, great things He has done." All we can give to Him that is worthy of His receiving is the glory due His name. (Psalm 29:1)
I often think about the "heroes of the faith". I believe that it is good to look at their lives and the examples that they have left us to follow. Obviously the best example to follow is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can also see that others such as Paul were able to tell others to follow their example as they followed the example of Christ. (1st Cor 11:1) One of the Old Testament examples that really speaks to me is the life of Joshua. I find his life fascinating. As he was "discipled" by Moses, as he was one of the two faithful spies, and then as he valiantly believed the Lord and led the people into the Promised Land. But then to see him stay faithful throughout his life and at the end be able to say to the people in Joshua 24:15 (Kennison paraphrase) "You need to decide whom you are going to serve (or who you are going to worship), but you know what I have already decided. Me and my house, we will serve the Lord." For him, for Joshua, it was a done deal. He wasn't waiting for the masses to make up his mind. His mind was already made up. He and his family were going to serve the Lord. What resolution. What dedication. What steadfastness. His eyes were firmly fixed upon the Lord, as ours should be also. (Heb 12:1-2) He, like Abraham before him, had believed in the promise of the One who called him into His service. He had seen the Lord faithful all throughout his life. So, what about us? If we believe the promise of the One who has called us into His service, and we can look back (and forward in faith) and see His faithfulness displayed in our lives, what should our reaction be? Worship. Praise You, O Lord for your goodness to me, a sinner. I will bring into Your courts a sacrifice of praise, because You know what (of course you do, because you are omniscient), that's all that I can give You that You really want. Please help Me Lord to worship You in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) and as such honor You with this life that You have "gift-ed" me. How important it is for us to remember that we don't belong to ourselves, but to the One who has called us unto Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. (1st Cor 6:19-20)
I am but a man. I am a sinner. I have been gloriously saved by grace through my faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. (Eph 2) What I want to give to the Lord is a life of worship. I want to have my home be a house of worship. I want those who come under "my" roof to know that we are a family who worship the One True God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Our desire to see a church planted and established in Curaco de Velez, Chile is due to the fact that we want to see the Lord receive the glory due His Name. We want to see others grasp ahold of the realization of who God is, and the wonderful fact that He offers sinners reconciliation with Himself through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Ruth and I have profited greatly from our recent study of the letter to the Hebrews. What a powerful book it is. Raising up the Lord Jesus Christ to the place that He alone deserves. It is through Him alone that we may receive access into the very presence of God the Father. (John 14:6; 1st Tim 2-5) But you know what, there are many people who have still not gotten a clear teaching on this truth. And as we read in Romans 10:14-15, it is up to us to share it with them. May we be found faithful and may the Holy Spirit do the work in their hearts that He alone can do. (John 3:3-8)
We have asked many of you to pray for a place in the town of Curaco de Velez that we could use as a place of worship. It would be so nice to have a place in town where the people could know that the Word of God is preached. Just yesterday (Wednesday) we stopped by and checked out a place for rent. The location is ideal and it is big enough to house a small group of worshipers. I write that word "worshipers" in faith believing that the Lord has appointed some "Curacanos" unto salvation. He knows those who belong to Him. However, we don't so we go on preaching the gospel to all that salvation is available by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. (John 19:30) May many not only hear this glorious message, but may they believe and thus be saved giving great glory to our great God.
Once again, I want to say that the Lord alone is worthy to receive worship. Not giving to Him is equivalent to robbery. It is equivalent to treason. Let us not be found guilty of such crimes. Let us give Him the glory due His name. May our lives, may our homes, and may our churches be true houses of worship for our glorious God.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel and Ruth (and the kids)
So, what should our response be? How about worship? Recognizing the Lord for who He is and for what He has done. How beautiful is the song "My Tribute". And I am not referring to the melody. I am referring to the words. What do we have that we could ever give Him in order to repay Him for what He has done for us? Obviously, nothing. Well, almost nothing. What we can give to Him already pertains to Him, so it actually doesn't pertain to us. As the song says, "To God be the glory, great things He has done." All we can give to Him that is worthy of His receiving is the glory due His name. (Psalm 29:1)
I often think about the "heroes of the faith". I believe that it is good to look at their lives and the examples that they have left us to follow. Obviously the best example to follow is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can also see that others such as Paul were able to tell others to follow their example as they followed the example of Christ. (1st Cor 11:1) One of the Old Testament examples that really speaks to me is the life of Joshua. I find his life fascinating. As he was "discipled" by Moses, as he was one of the two faithful spies, and then as he valiantly believed the Lord and led the people into the Promised Land. But then to see him stay faithful throughout his life and at the end be able to say to the people in Joshua 24:15 (Kennison paraphrase) "You need to decide whom you are going to serve (or who you are going to worship), but you know what I have already decided. Me and my house, we will serve the Lord." For him, for Joshua, it was a done deal. He wasn't waiting for the masses to make up his mind. His mind was already made up. He and his family were going to serve the Lord. What resolution. What dedication. What steadfastness. His eyes were firmly fixed upon the Lord, as ours should be also. (Heb 12:1-2) He, like Abraham before him, had believed in the promise of the One who called him into His service. He had seen the Lord faithful all throughout his life. So, what about us? If we believe the promise of the One who has called us into His service, and we can look back (and forward in faith) and see His faithfulness displayed in our lives, what should our reaction be? Worship. Praise You, O Lord for your goodness to me, a sinner. I will bring into Your courts a sacrifice of praise, because You know what (of course you do, because you are omniscient), that's all that I can give You that You really want. Please help Me Lord to worship You in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) and as such honor You with this life that You have "gift-ed" me. How important it is for us to remember that we don't belong to ourselves, but to the One who has called us unto Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. (1st Cor 6:19-20)
I am but a man. I am a sinner. I have been gloriously saved by grace through my faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. (Eph 2) What I want to give to the Lord is a life of worship. I want to have my home be a house of worship. I want those who come under "my" roof to know that we are a family who worship the One True God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Our desire to see a church planted and established in Curaco de Velez, Chile is due to the fact that we want to see the Lord receive the glory due His Name. We want to see others grasp ahold of the realization of who God is, and the wonderful fact that He offers sinners reconciliation with Himself through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Ruth and I have profited greatly from our recent study of the letter to the Hebrews. What a powerful book it is. Raising up the Lord Jesus Christ to the place that He alone deserves. It is through Him alone that we may receive access into the very presence of God the Father. (John 14:6; 1st Tim 2-5) But you know what, there are many people who have still not gotten a clear teaching on this truth. And as we read in Romans 10:14-15, it is up to us to share it with them. May we be found faithful and may the Holy Spirit do the work in their hearts that He alone can do. (John 3:3-8)
We have asked many of you to pray for a place in the town of Curaco de Velez that we could use as a place of worship. It would be so nice to have a place in town where the people could know that the Word of God is preached. Just yesterday (Wednesday) we stopped by and checked out a place for rent. The location is ideal and it is big enough to house a small group of worshipers. I write that word "worshipers" in faith believing that the Lord has appointed some "Curacanos" unto salvation. He knows those who belong to Him. However, we don't so we go on preaching the gospel to all that salvation is available by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. (John 19:30) May many not only hear this glorious message, but may they believe and thus be saved giving great glory to our great God.
Once again, I want to say that the Lord alone is worthy to receive worship. Not giving to Him is equivalent to robbery. It is equivalent to treason. Let us not be found guilty of such crimes. Let us give Him the glory due His name. May our lives, may our homes, and may our churches be true houses of worship for our glorious God.
For the King and His Kingdom,
Daniel and Ruth (and the kids)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)