The Lord is gracious to us. He goes above and beyond to show us His love. There was an excellent devotional this morning by Jordan.
After that, we learned more about folk Islam. Muhammad was posessed by a demon, and so are other muslims. For many, it is second nature for them to acknowledge that. What darkness! Even when Muhammad received that command from the Angel Gabriel (so he thought) he acknowledged that he believed it was a demon, until his wife told him otherwise.
Pierre Housney helped us to role play in speaking to Muslims. I went today. It went pretty well, and it was cool to use what we've been learning. It is so complex. Their world view is so different from ours. We have to trust the Holy Spirit in those situations for the words, and for Him to move in the heart of whomever we speak to.
I was able to use the illustration about the spit in the cup. If someone spit into a cup of coffee and offered it to you, would you drink it? Really, you wouldn't? What if I added some sugar and cream (o leche si tu quiere)? No you wouldn't, because it would be an insult to drink that. Well, our sin is an insult to God. We cannot expect God to accept our lives with sin in it. We can't expect to just add good works to cover it either. Only Jesus can do that.
We learned more about how we can witness to them, and stories to illustrate different things, because they love stories. It would be complicated to explain through writing, so just take my word for it. In Islam, Allah is the source of all evil. Can you believe that? Scary thought. Muslims even believe that they cannot control their sin or lusts, therefore women need to be veiled, or they can have multiple wives in order to not have to control themselves. What a contrast from one of the fruits of the spirit of self control.
One thought that stuck out to me today was that in the Old Testament, God was very specific with the sacrifices that needed to be made to atone for sin. The animal had to be of a certiain age, and without spot or blemish. He determined the terms, and He determined whether the sacrifice was acceptable or not. In Jesus, God has offered a sacrifice to us for our sin. He was spotless and without blemish. Yet now, God wants us to accept the sacrifice that He is providing to us for our own sin. What an insult to deny His sacrifice.
Anyway, we are going to have dinner and then off to Pearl Street. Please pray for us.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
God does the impossible
Ryan did the devotional this morning. What stuck out to me was a question: do I trust in God to do the impossible? I do. And now that I think about it, I'm sure He is testing me on that as I write this.
We learned about folk Islam this morning. Islam is so complex. There's a lot of mystycism, veneration of saints, and other things that we would not expect. Also in Islam, Allah is nowhere. He is not even good. He does good and evil, and is even manipulative and decieving.
A young lady from Saudi Arabia gave her testimony after that. It was very encouraging. Her parents basically told her that they are dead to her for becomeing a Christian. Her mom is coming around, and the dad loves to skype with the grandbaby.
Later on, we learned from Tat again. He spoke of the importance of being relational with Muslims, but being open and clear about our faith. It is easy to be relational, and expect them to ask about Jesus, but we need to also be up front about our faith in Jesus, while loving them in sincerity all the way through. We should get them to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Also, we need to trust the work of the Holy Spirit to move in the heart and mind. In the end, it is He who will draw them to Jesus, and regenerate them.
As another speaker said this morning, when we recognize the depths of our own sin, it is easier to have compassion towards others.
Dinner will be starting soon. I'm looking forward to it :)
-Tony
We learned about folk Islam this morning. Islam is so complex. There's a lot of mystycism, veneration of saints, and other things that we would not expect. Also in Islam, Allah is nowhere. He is not even good. He does good and evil, and is even manipulative and decieving.
A young lady from Saudi Arabia gave her testimony after that. It was very encouraging. Her parents basically told her that they are dead to her for becomeing a Christian. Her mom is coming around, and the dad loves to skype with the grandbaby.
Later on, we learned from Tat again. He spoke of the importance of being relational with Muslims, but being open and clear about our faith. It is easy to be relational, and expect them to ask about Jesus, but we need to also be up front about our faith in Jesus, while loving them in sincerity all the way through. We should get them to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Also, we need to trust the work of the Holy Spirit to move in the heart and mind. In the end, it is He who will draw them to Jesus, and regenerate them.
As another speaker said this morning, when we recognize the depths of our own sin, it is easier to have compassion towards others.
Dinner will be starting soon. I'm looking forward to it :)
-Tony
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
God goes before us
This morning I was privileged to do the morning devotional. It was called "John the Baptist: The Jesus Driven Life." I think it went well. I hope it encouraged them.
Andre taught us about contextualization. This is very important that we have a Biblical view of this. Contextualization is fine, as long as it does not change theology. Our approach in missions needs to be Christ centered, not culture centered. For example, some who air on the side of the C6 spectrum basically are telling Muslims who come to Christ to remain Muslims. The whole C1-C6 spectrum is based on a broken model. It is really compliated. Those who took the Perspectives class have heard of this. It is important to make a Biblically informed decision instead of culturally informed. Christ transcends culture.
We did some role playing about talking to Muslims with Georges' other son, Pierre. That was fun and interesting. It is important to have a diagnostic approach when approaching anyone, including Muslims. They are more diverse than we think.
Lastly, we had more teaching from Tat Stewart. He spoke of the many ministries that the Lord uses to reach Muslims, suuch as planting the seed of the Word of God, prayer, Christian witness, etc. He also talked about the means that the Lord has used to draw Muslims to Him, such as dispersing Muslims out of their home countries, disillusionment with Islam, suffering, etc. God is also using dreams. When we approach any person, ministry, or situation, we need to know that God has already gone before us.
In between all of that, it has been fun connecting with people. I even got to throw water balloons at Rylan (they were in swim gear, and really enjoyed it). God has really blessed us by bringing us here, especially for the month. I didn't know if we could even go, but once again, the Lord went before us and placed it on your heart to give or pray. I can't express how much that means to us. We are still early on in this process, but we trust that the Lord is already going before us.
-Tony
Andre taught us about contextualization. This is very important that we have a Biblical view of this. Contextualization is fine, as long as it does not change theology. Our approach in missions needs to be Christ centered, not culture centered. For example, some who air on the side of the C6 spectrum basically are telling Muslims who come to Christ to remain Muslims. The whole C1-C6 spectrum is based on a broken model. It is really compliated. Those who took the Perspectives class have heard of this. It is important to make a Biblically informed decision instead of culturally informed. Christ transcends culture.
We did some role playing about talking to Muslims with Georges' other son, Pierre. That was fun and interesting. It is important to have a diagnostic approach when approaching anyone, including Muslims. They are more diverse than we think.
Lastly, we had more teaching from Tat Stewart. He spoke of the many ministries that the Lord uses to reach Muslims, suuch as planting the seed of the Word of God, prayer, Christian witness, etc. He also talked about the means that the Lord has used to draw Muslims to Him, such as dispersing Muslims out of their home countries, disillusionment with Islam, suffering, etc. God is also using dreams. When we approach any person, ministry, or situation, we need to know that God has already gone before us.
In between all of that, it has been fun connecting with people. I even got to throw water balloons at Rylan (they were in swim gear, and really enjoyed it). God has really blessed us by bringing us here, especially for the month. I didn't know if we could even go, but once again, the Lord went before us and placed it on your heart to give or pray. I can't express how much that means to us. We are still early on in this process, but we trust that the Lord is already going before us.
-Tony
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday
Today started the third week. Time is going by pretty quickly. We had an awesome weekend. Lots of fun and lots of laughs with the Johnsons. We went to the farm saturaday morning, and helped Andre with his turned over tractor, and we put two tons of feed into whatever you call the giant feeder. Literally two ton. We ate with them, then went to Eldorado Springs. We actually went to the mountains area. My crazy wife and crazy friend got into the water completely. Then we had burgers at the RV camp.
Sunday we went to church, then lunch. Then Ryan and I saw the Dark Knight rises, and then I saw the Dark Knight rises again with Erline. Yes, I'm a bit of a fan.
We learned a lot today, but it seems like a bit of a blur. I've had a lot on my mind lately. Only twice in my life I've made a list of questions I have for God. It's usually questions about the future. I made a list last summer in Peru, and today I made another one. It is great to look back at that list from last year and see that God has answered all of those questions. He will do the same with my new list, not in my timing, but when He wants. I look forward to seeing that.
Jesus had a three-fold ministry: Teaching, preaching, and healing. The best model for ministry is Jesus. Other sources may be good, but Jesus laid out everything in His three year ministry.
Our new speaker this week is Tat Stewart. His focus is on evangelism. We learned about things that God wants us to have in order to use us.
Sunday we went to church, then lunch. Then Ryan and I saw the Dark Knight rises, and then I saw the Dark Knight rises again with Erline. Yes, I'm a bit of a fan.
We learned a lot today, but it seems like a bit of a blur. I've had a lot on my mind lately. Only twice in my life I've made a list of questions I have for God. It's usually questions about the future. I made a list last summer in Peru, and today I made another one. It is great to look back at that list from last year and see that God has answered all of those questions. He will do the same with my new list, not in my timing, but when He wants. I look forward to seeing that.
Jesus had a three-fold ministry: Teaching, preaching, and healing. The best model for ministry is Jesus. Other sources may be good, but Jesus laid out everything in His three year ministry.
Our new speaker this week is Tat Stewart. His focus is on evangelism. We learned about things that God wants us to have in order to use us.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Life is but a Vapor
Life is just a vapor. Man is fallen and sinful. These days are evil. The type of thing that happened in that theater shouldn't even be surprising anymore. But it is, and it is still hard to swallow. We think we have so much control. We are so small. Things like this are sad because people use this to try to show how evil God is, when this really shows how sinful man is. God is grieved, and we should be too.
My morning started with a text from my mom wondering if we are doing fine. We are 40 minutes away from that place, and didn't go to the movies last night. Thanks for your concern, if you were concerned. All is well with us.
Today was a light day. Steve, the one going to Tijikistan, gave the devotional this morning. We then had Andre's teaching interrupted by a woman who gave her testimony. Her husband, who converted from Islam to Christianity, was martyred with two others around ten years ago. He was so fervant for the Lord and served people well. In fact, she met him through trying to share Jesus with him on a bus. The most amazing part about this woman is that she was there to encourage us! She kept saying that she encourages us to live well, to be willing to pay any cost, and to stand firm in our faith. It was humbling.
Life is but a vapor.
We then had a time of looking through the library here, and talking with Georges in his office. After lunch, more apologetics.
What I loved about John Gilchrist is that his approach brought everything back to the Bible. The Bible is its best defense. We focused today on the claim that Muhammad fulfilled a few prophecies from the Bible (Deut. 18:18), which he did not (Deut. 31:10 confirms that). Muslims even claim that when Jesus spoke of a counselor that would come, it was not the Holy Spirit, but Muhammad. So...Muhammad would come to convict the world of sin (he committed many) and come to live within us? Scary thought, but sad that people believe this. Gilchrist just used the Bible to refute this.
He also used the Bible to prove that Jesus fulfilled the old testament prophecies. One really cool thing we learned was that Jesus was referred to as the suffering servant and the king whose reign would go on forever. This was shown through his two fathers, Abraham and David.
Abraham was the father of Jesus, spiritually. Abraham's son, Issac, paralled Jesus in many ways, including the sacrifice that the Lord provided (a ram for Issac, and Jesus for us). Abraham was Jesus' spiritual father in His first coming, and His suffering. David was Jesus' spiritual father as well. Solomon, a king with much success, is a type of Christ. This points to the second coming of Christ, when He will reign forever. Many people didn't understand this, and still don't. They believed that since Jesus didn't set things right in Rome and establish an earthly, He was not the Messiah. Muslims believe this as well. But they do not understand that Jesus embodies both of these stacks of prophecies, as the suffering servant and the everlasting King.
Good stuff, right? Like I said before, the best part was that Gilchrist relied totally on the Bible, and not on logic, reasoning, and smooth arguments to defend the Bible. God is big enough to defend Himself in His word.
Now for the weekend. It looks like lots of fun with the Johnsons this weekend. :)
My morning started with a text from my mom wondering if we are doing fine. We are 40 minutes away from that place, and didn't go to the movies last night. Thanks for your concern, if you were concerned. All is well with us.
Today was a light day. Steve, the one going to Tijikistan, gave the devotional this morning. We then had Andre's teaching interrupted by a woman who gave her testimony. Her husband, who converted from Islam to Christianity, was martyred with two others around ten years ago. He was so fervant for the Lord and served people well. In fact, she met him through trying to share Jesus with him on a bus. The most amazing part about this woman is that she was there to encourage us! She kept saying that she encourages us to live well, to be willing to pay any cost, and to stand firm in our faith. It was humbling.
Life is but a vapor.
We then had a time of looking through the library here, and talking with Georges in his office. After lunch, more apologetics.
What I loved about John Gilchrist is that his approach brought everything back to the Bible. The Bible is its best defense. We focused today on the claim that Muhammad fulfilled a few prophecies from the Bible (Deut. 18:18), which he did not (Deut. 31:10 confirms that). Muslims even claim that when Jesus spoke of a counselor that would come, it was not the Holy Spirit, but Muhammad. So...Muhammad would come to convict the world of sin (he committed many) and come to live within us? Scary thought, but sad that people believe this. Gilchrist just used the Bible to refute this.
He also used the Bible to prove that Jesus fulfilled the old testament prophecies. One really cool thing we learned was that Jesus was referred to as the suffering servant and the king whose reign would go on forever. This was shown through his two fathers, Abraham and David.
Abraham was the father of Jesus, spiritually. Abraham's son, Issac, paralled Jesus in many ways, including the sacrifice that the Lord provided (a ram for Issac, and Jesus for us). Abraham was Jesus' spiritual father in His first coming, and His suffering. David was Jesus' spiritual father as well. Solomon, a king with much success, is a type of Christ. This points to the second coming of Christ, when He will reign forever. Many people didn't understand this, and still don't. They believed that since Jesus didn't set things right in Rome and establish an earthly, He was not the Messiah. Muslims believe this as well. But they do not understand that Jesus embodies both of these stacks of prophecies, as the suffering servant and the everlasting King.
Good stuff, right? Like I said before, the best part was that Gilchrist relied totally on the Bible, and not on logic, reasoning, and smooth arguments to defend the Bible. God is big enough to defend Himself in His word.
Now for the weekend. It looks like lots of fun with the Johnsons this weekend. :)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Know and be known
This morning, a few of us went to Andre's farm to help him put down mulch for apple trees. It was an early morning. I'm not a morning person at all, so I probably wasn't very pleasant to be around. I did enjoy it. It is amazing that The Lord through nature has provided so many functions for everything. His fingerprints are everywhere. He holds everything together!
Class today seemed long, because I was basically battling to stay focused, since I had so little sleep. What stuck out today were a few things. For one, Islam is failing. The numbers may be deciving, but within Islam, it is so divided. So many people are searching for hope. They are searching for a God as Father. They are searching for assurance of salvation. They are serching for the one true God. This is encouraging.
We learned much more from Gilchrist, about the Trinity and the Muslim view of God. God, according to them, cannot be know. One cannot have a personal relationship with him. Yet we serve a God who dwells within us. He wants to be know, and wants to truly know us. Just think about Matt. 7:21-23. Jesus said depart from me...I never knew you. He wasn't impressed with what the people did, even if it was for Him.
We went to pearl street to worship and witness. It was great singing praises to God in the middle of a dark place. That really checks your heart. It draws a crowd, and it is great to just proclaim through song, yes, we follow Jesus. Some Christians joined us, which was really cool. I talked to a couple who seemed interested in our singing, why we were here, and what I was doing. I was very open with them, but they weren't interested in anything else.
There was also a drunk guy, who put his arm around me. He was really wasted. I could barely understand him, but he kept saying "I don't know how I got here." He was talking about his situation, not pearl street. He kept slurring, while talking about the Bible, and I kept listening. He then asked for cigarettes. It's pretty hard to talk to drunk people. Anyway, I know how he got there...He stopped abiding, and he stopped repenting, somewhere along the way. That isn't beyond any of us. God wants to know us. Oh that we would long to know Him.
Class today seemed long, because I was basically battling to stay focused, since I had so little sleep. What stuck out today were a few things. For one, Islam is failing. The numbers may be deciving, but within Islam, it is so divided. So many people are searching for hope. They are searching for a God as Father. They are searching for assurance of salvation. They are serching for the one true God. This is encouraging.
We learned much more from Gilchrist, about the Trinity and the Muslim view of God. God, according to them, cannot be know. One cannot have a personal relationship with him. Yet we serve a God who dwells within us. He wants to be know, and wants to truly know us. Just think about Matt. 7:21-23. Jesus said depart from me...I never knew you. He wasn't impressed with what the people did, even if it was for Him.
We went to pearl street to worship and witness. It was great singing praises to God in the middle of a dark place. That really checks your heart. It draws a crowd, and it is great to just proclaim through song, yes, we follow Jesus. Some Christians joined us, which was really cool. I talked to a couple who seemed interested in our singing, why we were here, and what I was doing. I was very open with them, but they weren't interested in anything else.
There was also a drunk guy, who put his arm around me. He was really wasted. I could barely understand him, but he kept saying "I don't know how I got here." He was talking about his situation, not pearl street. He kept slurring, while talking about the Bible, and I kept listening. He then asked for cigarettes. It's pretty hard to talk to drunk people. Anyway, I know how he got there...He stopped abiding, and he stopped repenting, somewhere along the way. That isn't beyond any of us. God wants to know us. Oh that we would long to know Him.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Lord is with us
This morning during one session we learned about boldness. It was more of a devotional then teaching time, but still very encouraging. In our breakout group before lunch, one of the other guys talked about taking risks. He said risk taking keeps us from being bold because we are afraid of failing. I can relate to that. Sometimes I am timid because I am afraid of the possible response. I even fear our future sometimes because I don't know the steps in between. I think people will think that I am crazy, or making bad decisions. This matters because it is not just about me, it is about Erline and our future family (don't worry...that wasn't a hint about anything...just thinking long term.) It will be much easier to just say no.
I remember hearing on the radio once during a sermon that James Mcdonald gave about a man who wanted to be a missionary. He felt called in such a big way. He was the first missionary their church was sending out. He raised his support, and was on his way. They had a big going away celebration at his church, in which he was showered with love. He then went to the airport.
That evening, they had another service at the church, and to their surprise, the missionary was there. When he was asked about why he was back at the church, he said "today I realized how much people care about me here at this church. I can't leave."
The Lord is with us. There may be hardships, people who disagree, doubts or fears along the way, but the Lord is with us. He goes before us, with us, and behind us. It is encouraging to know that others may have some of the same fears, but seeing that the Lord is with them.
The ending session was John Gilchrist about apologetics. We learned so much about how the Qur'an tries to deny Jesus, but through some passages, it actually affirms His deity. These passages can be good stepping points to lead Muslims to read the true word of God to see the truth.
We even learned about all of the scholarly attempts to try to deny Jesus' deity, resurrection, death on the cross, etc. Sometimes it seems like, man, why do so many people hate Jesus? Why do people deny Him so fervently? Well, He said that this would happen. He said that people would hate Him (John 15:18). He said that He brought a sword that would divide. We should expect this. People are fine with anything in an attempt to be accepting and "open minded" except for Jesus. Why? Because accepting all that Jesus said He was, said that He did, and said that He would requires a response: deny Jesus or deny yourself. It is easier for most to deny Jesus.
Erline and I, along with some others, are going to go to Andre's farm tonight. We are not going to slaughter this time, but to enjoy the fruit of our labor :)
I remember hearing on the radio once during a sermon that James Mcdonald gave about a man who wanted to be a missionary. He felt called in such a big way. He was the first missionary their church was sending out. He raised his support, and was on his way. They had a big going away celebration at his church, in which he was showered with love. He then went to the airport.
That evening, they had another service at the church, and to their surprise, the missionary was there. When he was asked about why he was back at the church, he said "today I realized how much people care about me here at this church. I can't leave."
The Lord is with us. There may be hardships, people who disagree, doubts or fears along the way, but the Lord is with us. He goes before us, with us, and behind us. It is encouraging to know that others may have some of the same fears, but seeing that the Lord is with them.
The ending session was John Gilchrist about apologetics. We learned so much about how the Qur'an tries to deny Jesus, but through some passages, it actually affirms His deity. These passages can be good stepping points to lead Muslims to read the true word of God to see the truth.
We even learned about all of the scholarly attempts to try to deny Jesus' deity, resurrection, death on the cross, etc. Sometimes it seems like, man, why do so many people hate Jesus? Why do people deny Him so fervently? Well, He said that this would happen. He said that people would hate Him (John 15:18). He said that He brought a sword that would divide. We should expect this. People are fine with anything in an attempt to be accepting and "open minded" except for Jesus. Why? Because accepting all that Jesus said He was, said that He did, and said that He would requires a response: deny Jesus or deny yourself. It is easier for most to deny Jesus.
Erline and I, along with some others, are going to go to Andre's farm tonight. We are not going to slaughter this time, but to enjoy the fruit of our labor :)
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