The Word of God is enough

My first experiences of Christianity were in a pentecostal church during the time of what is labeled the "Toronto Blessing".   I don't need to get into the specifics of the Toronto Blessing, there is plenty of ink spilled on that topic by plenty of godly men who are much more qualified to speak on it than I am.  So if you are curious you can do your own research on it, but I guess I will just summarize that the Toronto Blessing was an unbiblical movement that really wasn't a blessing at all.  Many movements and "churches" are still entrenched in this false system of theology.  To be honest, I am surprised by how many people, who claim to be Bible believing Christians, follow after this nonsense.  Due to my "upbringing" in the faith, the Bible was not the authority for life and practice.  To be fair, never would I hear anyone undermine or belittle the Bible.  Everyone affirmed that it was the word of God.   Everyone said the Bible is our sole place to find truth and authority.  But there were always other little comments.  "God said this to me."  "The Lord TOLD me to share this with you."  So early on in my Christian experience,  I began to have a narcissistic engagement with the Scriptures.  I wanted to hear God speak to me.  I wanted to have a revelation from God personally, like so many others were.  How come I am not getting that?  So when I read the Scriptures, which was rarely, I didn't care about context or the big picture or anything like that.  I wanted something to jump off the page that was for me.  To be fair once again, the pastor of the church would say things like, you check the Bible out for yourself.  Or don't take my word, you have a Bible, check it out.  The problem is, I can take the Bible out of context and make it say whatever I want.  Look at so many of the false teachers today.  They use the Bible and because of that, and people's biblical illiteracy, the people soak it up.  They believe anything that is "Christian" or quotes the Bible.  So the Bible was great, it was God's word, but not really relevant.  Because people would "speak into my life" and it was so much more exciting.  Someone would give me a Bible verse, and then go on to explain how that is for me.  It was great!   I could take take a verse and make it my verse.  It was for me.  So I would read and look for verses that I liked and that could fit into what maybe someone spoke to me or what I wanted to hear.

Fast forward several years.  I got plugged into a Bible teaching church.  Started downloading solid biblical teaching on my ipod.  Started listening to Alistair Begg and guys who would expositionally teach the Scriptures.  It was like that song from Aladdin, "A Whole New World" was opened up to me.  I began seeing the Bible, not so much as a verse here and there to "speak into my life" but as a whole that speaks of God's great promises of salvation which in reality does speak into my life and that is far greater than any disconnected verse that I twist and rearrange to fit my circumstances.  Let me say this though, I am not saying that a specific verse will not grant you comfort in situations.  Not at all.  We hold and cling to verses that have impacted us personally.  I am on the mission field because of specific verses.  My wife has comfort to be here and to live cross culturally because of Isaiah 40:11.  But I began not reading the Bible self centeredly.  I began to see that the Bible is more about God and His glory than it is about me.  I began to see that there is a bigger plan than just me.   Oh it involves me, I get to be part of it, but it is so beyond me.  Not every little verse is specifically for me.  I began to read the Bible, not to search for God's personal word for me today, which is often far from what the text within the context is really saying, but to read it and see how great and wonderful Christ is.  Reading it this way gave me this new love and fondness of Jesus.  Jesus Himself says that the Bible is all about Him (Luke 24).  So the more I read and understood who Jesus was and is, the greater my faith and trust of Him became.  It is still growing and deepening every day I open my Bible.  Now when I read the Bible, I focus on Jesus first and not myself.

Over the past several years,  I have been helped greatly by author/pastor Graeme Goldsworthy.  His passion is biblical theology and getting people to see the unity of the whole Bible.  How all the pieces fit together.  I actually taught his book "According to Plan" to my church on Sunday mornings.  I made the messages more expositional and more for a Sunday morning than the book, but I used the book as my outline and guide.  I want my church to be biblically literate.  To be that, they need to see the whole picture.  Now the reason I even started to write this post was, because the more we get into the word and understand the unity within the diversity, our love for Jesus will grow.  Our understanding of His plan and His salvation will get deeper.  We will become less satisfied with superficial views of Him and shallow teachings about Him.  We will be more aware and resistant to false views and teachings and gain understanding of Him and the Bible.  So many people undermine the Bible without even realizing.  As Christians there are doctrines that we all will die for.  Throughout history people have died for the truth of justification by faith alone.  People have died for salvation in Christ alone.  People have died for so many causes that we need to be willing to die for.   The church is willing to die for the inspiration of the Scriptures.  The church is willing to die for the infallibility of the Bible.  The church will die, to stand on the inerrancy of the Bible.  But there is another that we need to be prepared to die for.  I know many are.  I know many would even say they are willing.  And that is the sufficiency of the Bible.  There is where my Christian experience was lacking.  This is what bothers me about silly little devotionals like Jesus Calling or any other book that claims to be the words of Jesus.  Sara Young even said the Bible wasn't enough.  So she needed Jesus to speak to her.  And people actually read this stuff.  Why would you read anything that claims to be the words of Jesus and from an author who said the Bible isn't enough?  It has been the number one selling "Christian" book for some time.  We have the words of Jesus. We don't need new words.  Jesus has spoken (Heb 1:1).  Jesus is God's revelation to us.  That is what the author of  Hebrews is going on about.   That Jesus is superior than all the other revelations.  In Jesus we have the fullness of God.  No, the Bible is not Jesus but we find Jesus in the Bible.  The Scriptures don't save us (John 5:39) but we find Jesus in them.  Salvation comes through Jesus whom we find in the Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:15 tells us that the Scripture make us wise unto salvation.  How?  Because through them we see Jesus, the true Jesus.  And Salvation is through Jesus.  So the Bible is sufficient for us.  In 2 Peter, Peter tells us God has given us everything for life and godliness.  Paul tells us the Bible prepares us for every good work.  What more do you need?  I am not claiming we don't need to read other books.  I just said I read other books.  But I don't read books that are claiming to be the words of Jesus.  I don't need to, I have the true word of Jesus.  I have the book that Jesus spoke.   The Bible.  No, the Bible doesn't give us a word for every situation in our lives.  It doesn't tell us who to marry or what job to take or where to move.  But it gives us enough to make good decisions.  It doesn't give us exhaustive information on every subject, but in every subject that it does mention, it speaks only what is true. And as Kevin Deyoung says "and in its truth we have enough knowledge to turn from sin, find a Savior, make good decisions, please God, and get to the root of our deepest problems."

I can't say it better than him so "The word of God is more than enough for the people of God to live their lives to the glory of God. The Father will speak by means of all that the Spirit has spoken through the Son. The question is whether we will open our Bibles and bother to listen."

I used to long to hear God.  To be like those people who got words from the Lord.  Yet all the time my Bible was closed.  Or I was reading it out of context.  Or I was looking for something just for me.  A personal word just for me.  The funny thing is, it is a personal word.  I just didn't see it.  It is a personal word about my sin and about a great savior and about a gracious God.  Let's open our Bibles and read it from cover to cover and understand that it is ONE book with ONE underlying theme and ONE message, which is Jesus.  And in that message, is God's plan for you and me, which is our salvation and reconciliation back to Him all for the glory of God.  I don't believe anything will build your faith more than reading and seeing the Lord Jesus through His word (Rom 10:17).  Open your Bibles and look through the lens of Jesus as your read.  The more you see Jesus, the more you will see how great and loving our God is.  Don't settle for anything less than the Jesus from the Bible.  

Finishing Strong

It has been a few hectic weeks since coming back to Peru from our furlough in the States.  A couple chocolatadas, Christmas, New Years, unpacking, preparing for family to leave, getting things back in order, dealing with major issues within the church and then not to mention the NFL playoffs are starting.  It has been a whirlwind.  I have to say, usually when New Years rolls around, I pretty much have a game plan laid out for the next year.  Not that I have all the details worked out, but I have a pretty good idea on what the end game of the year is.  Obviously I am not saying I plot my own course or think that I am sovereign over my days.  I take heed to the counsel of the Bible that it is wise to plan, but I also know that the purpose of the Lord will stand (Proverbs 19:21).  And when ever I plan, never do I want my arrogance to guide my steps or desires like the foolish man from James 4.  When I plan, I truly, as true as a sinful heart can be, say Lord if it is your will, as James instructs.   The Apostle James isn't telling us not to plan, He is telling us that our plans should be brought before the Lord and if it is the Lord's will, then we can proceed.  This is a lesson that I am learning on a deeper level than I ever have.  Over the last 8 years or so, we have made some life altering plans.  We always took them before the Lord.  We have been in difficult situations.  We have had our moments of asking the Lord what is it that you are doing?  We have had our seasons of confusion and doubt.  But one thing that we can testify through our own personal experience is that the Lord is faithful.  That may sound cliche.  Some might say that is so Christianese.  Some people don't like to use Christianese, and I understand why, but isn't that the language of a Christian?  How else or what other terms could we use to describe what the Lord has done?   When we look through the Psalms and prayers of the Bible and listen to how they spoke, they used terms that we use.  Before I was a Christian I didn't speak that way.  But now it flows because I am a new creation.  I speak the language of who I am.   Anyways, off topic, yes that may sound cliche, it may be Christian jargon, but that is the truth.  The Lord has proven faithful.

Over 5 years ago we stepped out of an airplane not knowing what exactly the Lord was going to do through us, in us and for us.  These 5 years have been the hardest of my life, in every aspect.  People we know will make comments like how easy life is in Peru or it must be nice or how pleasant things are.  Just ignorant statements.  Yes, there are aspects that are great.  I am blessed to be with my family everyday.  I am blessed to not have some of the cares of the world that are inevitable while living in the States.  But if it was not for my calling, I would not be here.  I would have left long ago.  This has been so hard for us.  For years I was in heavy construction.  Most of my time I was working with crews that would do highway resurfacing.  When we do resurfacing, usually it is just coming in, maybe fixing some bad spots on the road, but all in all the project was to just overlay the road.   To put a new surface on.  The issue with that is many times, if you didn't fix all the bad parts before you overlay, it won't last as long as it should.  It is almost as if it is only a temporary fix.  In my 17 years I redid several roads time and time again.  But when it was time to do a reconstruction, it was serious work.  Especially if it was on a road that had multiple overlays.  You would have to strip off layer after layer of asphalt.  You would have to remove all the base under that asphalt.  You would even sometimes have to remove native soil and then treat it.  Then put all new material and rebuild the road.  Street reconstructions would take time.  An overlay, maybe a couple weeks depending on how many lanes and miles you were doing.  But a reconstruction, takes time.  I was on one project well over a year.  My point in all of this is that the Lord has been doing a reconstruction in my soul.  Striping away layer and layer.  He has been pruning (John 15) those branches from my heart that are not becoming of Him.  And here I am at the start of a new year, not knowing what it is He is doing.  But the one thing I do know, is that He is faithful.  That He is good, that He is working in me His Son.   As I was contemplating on the Lord and what it is that He is doing, this strong impression was laid on my heart to finish strong.  The Lord doesn't need to give me the details.  He doesn't need to explain what He is doing.  The Lord doesn't owe me an explanation.  As we are told in Luke 17, He doesn't even need to thank me for doing what was commanded.  I am an unworthy servant who has only done what was my duty (Luke 17:7-10).  And what I am beginning to realize is that I haven't completed what it is He has for me here in Cajamarca.

4 years ago when we planted the church, I remember in our embryonic stages of the logistics and planning it out, I was told by another missionary, who didn't know we were planting the church, that Baños didn't need a church.  He told me they have had the gospel.  And all I can remember is thinking, "if they have the gospel, why is this place the way it is?"  There are broken lives, fractured homes, pagan worship masked as Christian.  There are people enslaved to religion.  Do you even understand what the gospel is?  It isn't like hey once people hear the gospel that's it.  Walk away.  Say this prayer and it's all done.  No the gospel is what we live by.  It is a continual thing.  We don't move beyond the gospel.  I need the gospel as much today as when I first heard it.  And so do these people.  Anyways that is a topic for another blog.  So last night driving into the city to eat one last meal with our family before they head out, I was just looking at the people.  I once again saw the brokenness of the community.  My heart was aching for those walking around not knowing Christ.  This is the same passion I felt when we decided we need to plant the church.  This is the passion that I need to continue to have while the Lord has me here.   The same missionary who told me we don't need a church in Baños also told me how Baños has everything.  He was meaning materialistically.  The community of Baños is much better off than most of our surrounding areas.  The region we live in, is one of the poorest regions in Peru.  Baños is like the Beverley Hills of this region.  We have running water.  Some of the houses are very nice.  The people in Baños tend to be better off financially than many of the surrounding towns and villages.  But here is my issue with a statement like that.  Are we are not to minister to these people because they have a better life materialistically?  It makes me nauseous  again as I think about it.  So basically when we bring this way of thinking to its logical conclusion we are saying we don't need to give the gospel to those who have materialistic blessings because they have had a good life.  We need to help those who don't have good lives (materialistically speaking).   Listen I am not dismissing what the Bible says about the poor and needy.  But lets be honest.  People would much rather do ministry in places that are less fortunate in the world's eyes.  People would much rather support ministries in places like that.  I could go and take pictures of the surrounding areas.  Kids who suffer from malnutrition.  Places that have no water.  I could raise serious money.  People's hearts are moved by that stuff.  But if I go and start a ministry in an affluent city, or area, people are much less likely to support that.  Why?  Because we think those people have it made.  They have good lives.  It is a such a worldly perspective.  We are fighting for souls.  To be honest, and I would love to discuss this if you would like, but from my personal experience and from my studying, those from affluent places are much harder to reach with the gospel.  My heart for this area was because they were lost, no other reason.  And I need to remember that and to view this community the same way I did 5 years ago when we got off the plane in this unknown land.  My point in this part of my rant, is that I need to make sure my motives are correct in this ministry.  That I have an eternal perspective and that I am focused on telling people about Christ crucified.  Isn't that what Paul's whole ministry was based on? "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)   Follow me to the logical end.  If I give this whole area food and water and don't give them Christ, what have I done.  I will argue until I am blue in the face, I have done worse for them than before I showed up.  I have seen it.  Listen, if I give someone a better life know, but do not give them Jesus, all I have done is made them more comfortable on their way to hell.  I want people to know Jesus.  Yes, there is a need for mercy ministry.  We do that, it is not our focus, but we do it.  But only as an avenue to preach the cross.

So as this new year starts, a new year of unknowns, I know that the Lord wants us to finish strong, no matter how long that is.  This Sunday I will preach on Hebrews 12:1-2.  About running the race that Lord has set before us.  About finishing that race.  I have a race to run.  The Lord Himself has set the course.  He has laid out the obstacles and set the finish line.  It is His race.  He is there, cheering us on, along with all those who have went before us and ran their race.  I want to finish.  I want to be faithful.  I am beyond blessed and grateful for the promise in 2 Timothy that tells us if we are faithless,  he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.  I have my moments of faithlessness.  No false piety here.  I have been faithless these last few weeks.  But the Lord has remained faithful.  He gave me eyes to look out the combi as we were traveling into the city to see brokenness.  To see lost souls.  To see a community desperate for the gospel.  To see a people who need to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I am reminded of Paul while he was in Corinth.  "The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." (Acts18:9-10).  The Lord told Paul, keep preaching.  This is the same people Paul told "I decided to only give you Christ and Him crucified."  The Lord was telling Paul don't leave.  The Lord was telling Paul that He has people in that city who do not know of Him and His salvation yet.  People who the Lord died for.  I know the Lord has people here in Baños and they need to know of our great Savior.  This is why we started the church.  We wanted to proclaim these great truths.  And as I reflect on some of the changes that have taken place in the last couple weeks,  I understand that the Lord isn't done with me here.  My time is limited.  What that time looks like I do not know.  All I do know is that I need to be faithful.  I need to continue in the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Am I confused?  Sure.  Am I upset?  Honestly, probably a little.  Upset at what?  Honestly, probably the whole situation.  Am I questioning what God is doing?  Not so much anymore.  I know that God is doing a great work.  What more do I need to know.   Part of that work (probably a large part) is the work He is doing in my heart.  I know He is working in our national pastor's heart.  I know He is working in my wife's and children's hearts.  He is working.  That is the great thing.  It is not done.  So if God is working, I want to be part of it.  I want what He has for me personally and what he has for others.  This is becoming exciting again.  It is a new year.  It is a new beginning.  I can't wait to see what the Lord does in this coming year as we seek Jesus and as we seek to glorify Him and make Him known.  

Soli deo Gloria

Works, Rewards, Value, Worth, Raiders, And Our Glorious Savior

"You are a sheep of his pasture.  Therefore you have everything you need."  Al Baker

For those who don't know, I love the Raiders.  I have loved the Raiders since I can remember.  growing up, Jim Plunkett was my favorite quarterback and Marcus Allen was untouchable.  I have seen the Raiders be very good and very bad and all though it is much more enjoyable to watch them when they are good, it doesn't really matter to me.  My kids are now Raiders fans.  We all enjoy sitting down and watching the games.  Last week was a bye week (no game), but this year has been great.  Not only are they doing very well at this point, but Derek Carr who is their starting quarterback is faithful follower of Jesus Christ.  I don't know everything about the guy, but he holds himself humbly and gives praise to the Lord.  After a game against a division rival I saw him gather players from both sides and take the center of the field and go to their knees and pray.  It was an encouraging thing to see.  After one game, my daughter asks me, "Is Carr going to stay loyal to the Raiders?"  She has learned a little about the mechanics of the system.  She was wondering when his contract is up and some other team comes and offers big money to him, will he stay?  I didn't have an answer for her concerning Derek Carr and the Raiders.  However, I did have an answer concerning how we as humans can sometimes view value and worth by what we get.  Society on a whole has really been set up as a works and rewards system.  Sports players think the multi million dollar contracts shows their value.  They say if a team wants my abilities, then they will pay me and I will feel they appreciate me.  When I was a field supervisor for a large construction company, they would do year end bonuses.  I remember talking with other guys and they would say how much they were given and I would, in my sinful flesh, say "what they don't appreciate me?  I got all the jobs that were losers from the start.  I would do my best and sometimes even make the company money.  Why don't they look at that aspect?"  The fact is, they did appreciate me and that is why I had a job and they even gave me a bonus.  It took a while for me to get that though.  See our society is set up that way from the beginning.  That is why so many times people have a hard time grasping the gospel.  Think what we tell our kids (well maybe you don't and I am just highlighting my bad parenting skills).  "If you do good in school, I will buy you an ice cream."  "Hey if you behave tonight at the so and so's, maybe I will get you a treat."  Do you see what is happening?  It is a works for rewards system.  We have ingrained our kids with that.  I myself have been ingrained with that.  The gospel says come and receive without price! That is a hard concept for some of us to understand.

Beyond that though, for those of us who do understand that, we can then fall back into thinking our value and our worth is by what we get or what we receive or by who pats us on the back.  And when we don't get stroked how we think we deserve our chins tilt up and our nostrils flare a little and we think we have been slighted and it is such an injustice.  Moments like that expose how ugly the remaining sin in our hearts is.  It shows us that we truly do not have a full enough grasp of what grace truly is.  Sitting here rehashing in my mind what has gone on in my life, my family, my ministry and looking forward to what will take place, I keep just getting overwhelmed by how gracious our God is.  Ministry can be hard.  Let me rephrase that, ministry is hard.  You are dealing with souls therefore you are dealing with people.  I know from my own heart, I am hard to deal with.  I am a sinner and I am messy and I have problems.  So I know when I minister to others, they are just like I am, broken and in need of mercy and grace.  The same mercy and grace that I have been given.  They are cut from the same society that is works for rewards.  So they have the same tendencies that I do.  People are people no matter what continent they are on.  And how arrogant is it to think that because you receive something, you are more valuable or that you even deserve to receive anything.  So materialistic items show value and worth?  Or spiritual gifting shows value and worth?  Would you tell a Somali who is dying from starvation that he is in that condition because he has no value?   I sure hope not.  But that is what we do on a more micro level.  Everything we have is of grace.  The issue is, so many times I think I know what I need.  I think I know what I deserve.  Jesus knows what I need.  Thank God I don't get what I deserve!  I  see people get bitter and angry because they think they deserve something or that they are not getting ministered to as they think they should be.  The Lord is sovereign and is working in each of our lives in the areas of our lives that are not in line with His character.  The Lord works differently in each person.  So many times we allow a root of ungodliness to form because Jesus hasn't done what we want Him to do.  Could you imagine walking up to Jesus and questioning what He is doing to His face?  Yet how many of us do that in our hearts?

I think of the story in Mark chapter two, the healing of the paralytic that was lowered through the roof.  Jesus says your sins are forgiven.  I imagine the guys who carried him going "whoa whoa whoa Lord!  That is not what we came here for!  That is not what we want.  We want this guy to walk!!!"  Lord, I don't want to go to Peru!  I don't want to go to Chile!  I don't want to downsize.  Lord I came to you so I could get this.  Lord why don't I have what they have.  I don't want this trial or this or that.  Lord why did you give me this!  Do you realize what the God has given you?  He has given you His Son!  What more do you need?  A spouse?  Money? Gifting? Power? Prestige? Recognition?  What is it that you need?  Are you going to get angry and bitter at God or someone else cause you didn't get what you think you need or deserve?  Are you unhappy and discontent with what God has given? Don't you think the Lord knows what we need?  Don't you think the Lord gives what we need and takes away what we don't?   Who are we to question what it is the Lord does?  He sees the big picture.  He is working the end game.  He is stripping away, molding, conforming and working in us His good pleasure.  Maybe the guys who lowered the paralytic through the roof were doing all that out of selfish reasons?  This is all speculation, the text doesn't tell us, but maybe they were tired of taking care of him.  Of carrying him to his spot to beg for money and food.  Maybe they were tired of rolling him over so he didn't get bed sores.  Maybe they just wanted him to walk so he could have life like them.  I don't know.  But how many times are we motivated to help or do ministry out of purely selfish motives.  I pray that I will never be selfish in my ministry.  I pray that I will never be bitter when the Lord does a great work in some other church planting ministry. I pray that I will not allow bitterness to swell in my heart when things don't go how I want them to go.  I pray that ungodliness will not take root in my soul.  It is easy to allow when you look around and you see things or you hear things.  Who am I to ask why don't I have a huge ministry and a radio program and books being published?  Lord aren't I doing your work?  To be honest, when I see one person show up at the church I pastor, I am blown away!  Thanks for coming back wow!  Do I even deserve to be able to speak forth God's word, of course not, that is all of grace.  But see, I could think that I am not valued or worth anything cause I don't get the rewards that I think I should.  That is an ugly place to be.  Another missionary from our sending church is here on furlough.  It was great seeing him and talking with him.  But I could have gotten bitter because he is on furlough when I am or whatever.  He is taking some of the focus that should be mine!!!  I could get angry because he got to speak at some gathering that I wanted to or whatever.  Oh my, that would be the ugliest heart.  That makes me nauseous to think that people are actually think like that.  Who are we but dust!  But isn't wonderful the Lord is in the business of changing hearts.  My heart still needs a lot of work.  Praise Jesus we have that promise in Philippians, "He who started a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus."  He is doing it.  There will be rewards.  It will be seeing Jesus face to face.  It is conforming to His image.  Yes we work out our salvation.  We put to death the flesh.  We kill these areas that we see that our so ugly.  We chop down the trees and pull the roots of ungodliness and selfishness and bitterness and the list goes on.

So anyways, off my rant and back to Carr and his contract, I told my daughter he might if the money is right.  He has to think about his family and his career.  I don't want to see him go, but that is the nature of the game nowadays.  Then I told her that even if the Raiders don't pay him what another team might, that doesn't mean the Raiders don't appreciate him.  It doesn't mean he doesn't hold value to the team.  And at this point in the conversation I can transition into a meaningful and life impacting speech.  I begin talking on the sovereignty of God and that God has ordained what will happen in Carr's life from beginning to end.  If God so wants Carr to sign a multi million contract with some other team then that is the way it is.  Hopefully Carr will use his talents and leadership to lead people to Christ.  It is more important to lead souls for eternity than to lead a team to a superbowl.  What we have to understand though, is that his worth and his value is not in his paycheck or accolades but in the blood that Christ shed on his behalf.  Then I said, your worth and value is not based on what life deals you, but your worth and value is in how much Christ loves you that He came and lived the life you couldn't, took the death that you deserved, taking all you sin and giving all His perfection and He rose from the grave granting forgiveness and giving life.  Don't you ever question your value or your worth because maybe you didn't get the big contract.  That is slapping our precious Lord in the face.  You are a child of the King.  Your worth and value and identity is in Him.  He has done the work and He is the reward.  I want you to do good in school.  I want you to help with the other crazy bambinos.  I want you to do good in your music, art and magic tricks.  I kind of demand it because you are my daughter.  I will help you, I will do all I can to see you succeed.  And see that is what Jesus does in a much greater way.  He wants you to enjoy the blessings of fellowship with Him.  To work hard at school.  To give it your all.  He gives the power to help.  You are His now.  Just like you carry my name, Petrik.  You carry His.  Just like you have mannerism's and quarks that I have.  You have His Spirit.  How amazing.  How gracious.  How merciful.

I am hoping Carr sticks around.  He has brought a level of excitement to the Raiders I haven't seen in years.  But more importantly.  I hope my heart stays pure and I don't allow the flesh to rule my thoughts and desires.  I want to serve Christ out of pure love for Him.  I want to have clean hands and a pure heart.   Most importantly, I hope my daughter finds all her value and worth in Jesus Christ and not in what she may or may not receive from this world.  I hope she will understand grace in a way that will motivate her to share the same grace of Christ with everyone who comes across her path!    

As I sit here on furlough

It is a brisk Thursday morning as I sit on the bed and reflect on all that has gone on over the past few weeks.  I have so many random thoughts that I just wanted to vent.  We are more than half way through our furlough and we have seen the results of the presidential elections, met with family and friends, spoken at churches, skated several local parks, and had plenty of good food to eat.  Furlough is always like an out of body experience, not that I have had one of those, but furlough is what I imagine that would be like.  It is like this weird time warp deal.  Things have changed, people have moved on and lives have been altered.  We expect to see everything exactly as it was when we left, but we have been gone for five years and life goes on.  Sure, in our minds the last memory of here is stuck so we have expectations when we come here that life will pick up just as it was in our memory bank.  It is not that way.  This happens every time we come back, you think we would not set ourselves up for that.

Living out of suitcases and running around from place to place, isn't necessarily the most relaxing thing to do.  The kids don't seem to mind too much having their cloths in a suitcase but it drives Nicole and I nuts.  Our kids are good travelers but every couple days they ask can't we just not go anywhere today?  On days where we just call it a down day and we go to the beach and hit a skatepark they say, "wow life here is fun!"  They don't realize that the life they are living on furlough is not the life we would be having if we lived here.  That is something hard for them to comprehend.  Their clothes wouldn't be in a suitcase and we would be driving from Santa Cruz to Sonora to Turlock and back to Santa Cruz that same day and then do it all over again the following day because we have to meet with someone else.  We wouldn't be able to go to the skatepark at 9 am when no one is there.  This would not be our life. This is not only a thought the kids need to know, this is something that I must remember as well.  There are moments when we are here and I think to myself, life here is what I am use to.  This is the way I would like to live (not the running around, just the location), but then the Lord gives me a little nudge.  "This isn't your home, this isn't your calling, this isn't what I have for you and your family."  And believe me, I am so grateful for what the Lord has called us to do.  There are just these moments.

My parents posted a blog just yesterday (there is a link on the home page of this blog).  It was wonderfully written and expressed what is happening in the ministry the Lord has entrusted us with.  I was so encouraged when I read that.  At times, I need to be reminded of how faithful the Lord is and what He is doing.  It is exciting, but at the same time so difficult.  As was said in their blog, we love Cajamarca and all the people the Lord has brought into our lives.  To be honest, I have prayed more on this furlough and prayed more fervently and heart felt in a long while.  I find myself just pleading with the Lord for Refugio and the people.  I have said this trip will be a good test for Alvaro and the church, but I think the Lord had in mind that it would be a good test for me and my heart.  Refugio is the Lord's church and He is the one who has built it and the one who has led it.  And He has done that in spite of me!  I have made so many mistakes and yet the Lord continues to work just showing and proving that it is all by His grace.  As my favorite line goes, "I am just a knucklehead, but God loves to use knuckleheads."  It is the Lord who builds His church and He will continue to build His church in Cajamarca.

In April we have a wonderful team coming down from Halfmoon Bay to continue in that work!  The Mud and Miracles group.  About 30 people have signed up and are planning on making the trip.  Last night we got to go up there and I shared a short message from God's word and then we talked about Peru and answered questions.  It was such a blessed evening.  We love our church in Halfmoon Bay and we love this team.  We are praying that the Lord would do a radical work in each of their hearts.

This past week, some of our close friends has us over for a lunch after church.  It was great time of fellowship and relaxation and the food was straight up nothing less than amazing.  Miguel killed it!!!  It was such a blessed time with all of them.  We love getting together with our loved ones.  The Gibby's have of course been blessing our socks off.  They are our peeps, like for reals.  There are certain people the Lord brings into your life that you wouldn't ever have expected and they bring out the best in you and Gibby's are that for us.  They are some of the most special people.  The Wise family is another and they have been beyond amazing to us and our love for them is beyond expression.  I can't even express how much it means for us this love and support we get.  Speaking of that, CCC has an incredible fundraiser for our move to Chile.  They went above and beyond.  It was evident how much they love our families.  They are so invested in what the Lord is doing.  It would not be possible to do what we have done and are going to do without them.  So many people came out and listened and talked and caught the vision.  ALL of us are eternally grateful.

As our days are coming to a close on this furlough, we still have several things going on.  My speaking schedule is still pretty booked.  I will have one Sunday off and one Wednesday off.  We have several close friends we haven't had the chance to get together with yet, but we will in this remaining time.  Nicole's parents have purchased Disneyland tickets for the whole family!  When I say the whole family, I mean for them, us, her brothers and their families and her sister and her family. We are looking forward to this time.  The kids are excited and it will be fun.

Well thanks for reading through my venting and what has been going on!

Soli Deo Gloria

God wants us

I have a book called "A Year with C.S. Lewis" that I am reading every morning.  And what this book does is it takes a short section from his writings for you to read each day.  I have read C.S Lewis stuff and I appreciate how he thinks and gets me to think, and I know that he has some issues that I disagree with, but then again I don't agree with anyone 100%.  The Bible alone is where I find 100% truth, but nevertheless I really appreciate the thought process and some of Lewis's conclusions.  There is no doubt he was a great thinker but I wouldn't put him on the level that some do.  Anyways, today  the section opened up with the words "For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demand; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves."  That is so well put.  That is so convicting and challenging.   God isn't so concerned with our time and attention, but ourselves.  This is about priorities.  This is about submitting our lives to God.  We may try to spend time with God.  "Oh gotta give God the start of my day."  So we make sure that the first thing we do is spend some time in prayer and in the word right when we wake up.  And that is good and needed.  But sometimes that can just come routine and that can just be so we can say I have given God the start of my day and did my God thing.  God wants more than just that.  He wants us.  See God knows that if He has us, He will have our time and attention.  If we are God's then everything we do will have pure motives and thus will be for His glory and for His attention and all our time will be for that purpose.  For me, I can think "I am a missionary.  I left my beloved Santa Cruz and moved to the Andes Mountains.  I am doing things for God."  But what does that matter if the Lord doesn't have me.  I think at times we can think that we have to do something extreme to be really sold out for Christ or to really be able to say we have given ourselves to God.  "Look at what I am doing!"  We can trust in our works and actions.  Even as I type that, "Look what I am doing" I can feel my skin cringing!  It was about me.  It wasn't for the Lord, so obviously He doesn't have me if I can truly think that.  And I know that there will be times that we all struggle and even have self righteousness which is one of the most ugly sins there are and it doesn't mean that we haven't given ourselves to God, but I can't look at what I am doing or have done.  That sure can be a breading ground for a self righteous pharisaical attitude.  That can also be a hinderance in being content with what the Lord has called you to do or where He has placed you.  I look at certain missionaries or pastor's and go "Wow, they are doing the thing, they are the real deal, I need to do more."  But God wants you and me, not our attention or time.  Attention and time come when we are His.  He knows that.  We can't reverse that order.  God has placed each one of us right where we are at.  We need to be content and we need to just be faithful and not look to others as our standard or our motivation.  We can't look to what we do but to who Jesus is and what He has done.  Trust me, God wants our attention!  God wants our time!  But first and foremost God wants us.  Those are byproducts of the prime product.  The giving of ourselves doesn't mean that we have to pack up and leave our town and move across the world.  The giving of ourselves means we walk in the Spirit and walk in the ways of Jesus.  It means submitting to the providences of God.  It means living for Him!  It means trusting in Him alone!  It means dying to self!  And don't get confused that the action is a demonstration of the giving of your self.  "Well I moved to Peru, so I have given myself."  No that means nothing.   You can do an action with impure motives, for selfish reasons, to bring glory to yourself or to try to earn God's love.  Be faithful where ever the Lord has placed you.  Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and then all these other things will be added.  God wants you.  God wants me.  So much so that He sent His only Son to take the punishment that we deserved.  To cleanse us from filth and our sin.  He laid down His life.  Imagine for a moment who He was.  What Christ left.  What Christ endured for His people's sake.  Put that into perspective and then allow the Spirit to help you lay down your life.  He wants us.  Every part. Jim Elliot said "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  Jesus said "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  Maybe today, we can loose our lives for Jesus.  Maybe today, we can give ourselves to God.  I was challenged by that C.S. Lewis quote.  I don't know about you, but there is so much of me that needs to go to the cross.

The love of God in our lives

I came across a quote in one of the books I am reading right now that really blessed me.  The author wrote "It is the cross alone that ultimately proves the love of God to us-not the providential circumstances of our lives."  This has been a recurring theme in my own personal life as well as many of the people in the church that I pastor.  Several of our members are dealing with difficult circumstances.  They range from job loss and financial issues to serious health problems and issues with rebellious kids.  It always seems that these outward circumstances control how we think about the love of God in our lives.  Many times we feel that if our outward circumstances are going well and we are having minimal struggles God is pleased with us and we are performing well.   When the tides take a turn for the worse we tend to think that God is displeased with us and for some reason we begin to question whether God loves us.  We forget to look at who God is and how He has always taken care of us.  I think people tend to have this attitude because that is how our society is set up.  I don't care if you are in North America or Europe of up at 9000' in the Andes mountains, society is set up in such a way that we are rewarded for our performance.   In the company I worked for I would receive an end of the year bonus based on how well the jobs I ran performed.  The more money my jobs made and the quicker they were complete I received a larger check at the end of the year. Athletes are given monster contracts based on their performance.  I even tell my kids, "behave and I will get you an ice cream."  This all translates into our view of God and our circumstances.  If I am in the midst of difficulty I tend to look at my performance.  What I need to do is look at the tender mercy of God.  I need to remember who God is and who I am in Christ.  Remember when Jesus was being baptized.  The heavens opened up and God the Father said this is my Son, with you I am well pleased.  The One that God the Father is pleased with is His Son, that is it.  But when we come to Christ by faith, we are united with Him.  Our lives our hidden in His life.  His life becomes ours.  So God the Father looks at us through the lens of His Son and so in Christ God looks at us and is well pleased.  Our circumstances no matter how bad they are, are not the indicator whether or not God loves us.  God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  All we have to do is look at the cross to see that God loves us.  We don't ever have to question whether God loves us.  So we need to get our eyes off our circumstances and onto God.  We need to reprogram our minds from the way society is, in regards to a performance based reward system, and remember that God is a God of grace and He loves us.  And yes I know that in the end we will receive rewards based on what we do here and now and yes we are to strive to live lives that bring glory and honor to God and strive after His will.  I know all that, but that is not the basis for God's love for us.  We do that out of our love for Him.  But God cannot be more pleased with us than He is right now if we are in Christ.   That is a great comfort.  That is a great motivation.  That is a great relief.  It also should make us realize that the outward circumstances of our lives are not controlled by whether or not God loves us and is pleased with us.  Just think about the life of Jesus.  He had some pretty horrible outward circumstances in His life, yet God's love was infinitely poured upon Him.  So for us, "It is the cross alone that ultimately proves the love of God to us-not the providential circumstances of our lives."  If you are in Christ, God loves you more than you can even imagine.  Take heart in that!

Soli deo Gloria

Missing my wife

My wife and daughters have been in the States apart from my son and I since October 27th.  This is the longest we have been apart in our thirteen years of marriage.  I can't even begin to express how much I miss her and love her.  The upside is we only have five more days until she returns to Peru!!! One of the positive things I have learned through this though is how much I love her and appreciate her.  She is a wonderful woman who pushes me to pursue Christ at a deeper level.  I am encouraged by her faith and her relationship with Christ and it makes me desire to be a man that does the same for her.  Last night in our midweek service my Dad preached on 1 Samuel 25 and did a great job and one of the things he brought up is how as a husband we need to listen to our wife's wisdom and counsel.  God put her here as a help meet and they complete us.  In these days apart, I have learned that on a whole new level.  I have also learned that her role that she takes in this house is huge!  I have never appreciated as she deserves all that she does here, but now I do and I am even more thankful for her.  Marriage is a difficult task, I am not going to pull any punches, but with the grace of God and focusing in on the roles that we are given in marriage, it can be a beautiful thing.  I am called to love my wife as Christ loved His church. I am to live selfless for her, I am to exemplify selfless love to her and my kids in order to show the gospel through our marriage.  I do believe that this world needs a great demonstration of a biblical marriage which in turn is a demonstration of the gospel.  I pray that when she returns I do that.  I pray that I remember this time and don't just fall back into the old routine, but I cherish her and adorn her with selfless love.  She is my queen and I can't wait for these next five days to be over.