Please note that they began going through the Bible and the catechism in August so our posts will not coorepsond with their web page, but our information was taken from their guide that was published in the fall. If this is your first time considering family worship or you are not familar with it please contact us for help or visit the Family Worship Guide website for more helpful information.

The Catechism questions are from “A Catechism for Boys & Girls” by Tom Nettles.

The entire catechism can be found here.

In addition to this remember that for the singing part feel free to use other songs that might be more familar for your family.

READ

                                 Family Passages         Personal Passages

Sunday:          Sermon passage          Gen. 13:2-18, 1 Chron. 13, Psalm 12, Luke 8:4-21

Monday:         Gen. 6:11-22               Gen. 14, 1 Chron. 14, Psalm 13, Luke 8:22-56

Tuesday:        Gen. 7                                     Gen. 15, 1 Chron. 15:1-16:3, Psalm 14, Luke 9:1-50

Wednesday:   Psalm 3                       Gen. 16, 1 Chron. 16:4-43, Psalm 15, Luke 9:51-10:24

Thursday:      Prov. 3                        Gen. 17, 1 Chron. 17, Psalm 16, Luke 10:25-42

Friday:           Matt. 4:23-25              Gen. 18:1-15, 1 Chron. 18-20, Psalm 17, Luke 11:1-36

Saturday:       Rom. 2:1-11                Gen. 18:16-33, 1 Chron. 21:1-17, Psalm 18, Luke 11:37-12:12

PRAY

ACTS: Adoration – Confession – Thanksgiving – Supplication

Sunday: Pray that God will be glorified through you in the upcoming week.

Monday: Pray for the adults in your church.

Tuesday: Pray for your local leaders.

Wednesday: Pray for those who are sick and need physical healing.

Thursday: Pray for specific opportunities to share the message of Christ with others.

Friday: Pray for the families in your church.

Saturday: Pray that God will be glorified in tomorrow’s worship gathering.

SING

“Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down,” no. 7 in The Worship Hymnal

MEMORIZE

Be sure to review the scripture memory verses and catechism questions from previous weeks!

Scripture: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

Catechism:

5. Q. Why ought you to glorify God?

A. Because he made me and takes care of me (Rom. 11:36; Rev. 4:11; cf. Dan. 4:39).

6. Q. Are there more gods than one?

A. There is only one God (Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10; Mark 12:29; Acts 17:22-31).

Look at these words in (Malachi 2:5-7 ESV) My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

In this context the Lord is talking about the failure of the priests and shows Aaron as an example of a faithful priest. Some of these things have great application in our day. Although not everything from the Old Testament priestly responsibilities corresponds to the New Testament we do know that all believers in Christ are priests (1 Peter 2:9). Notice some of the things that were said of Aaron:

1. God gave him life and peace!
2. He stood in awe of God’s  name!
3. True instruction was in his mouth!
4. He walked with God in peace and integrity!
5. He turned many from iniquity!

Certainly these five things are all things that Christians should diligently seek after. These are five great goals for every believer in 2010.  

Verse 7 goes on to talk about a priest guarding knowledge and people seeking instruction from him. The priests in essence were guardians of truth and those that dispensed truth. Verse 7 caused me to reflect on this past week’s message and the importance of family worship. My mind was immediately going to the men in the church. How often do we take our responsibilities as head of the household seriously? Are we really serving our wives and children as family Priest’s, Prophets, Providers & Protectors? What would our families look like if we took these roles seriously?

Let’s take the first two for example. The prophet in the OT was someone that heard from God and communicated that to others. Yes, this is a simplistic definition, but our roles as prophets in the family are not exactly equal to the prophets in the OT either. So they heard from God and communicated it to others. Apply this to the head of the house. Men, husbands & fathers, are you hearing from God through His Word? This takes commitment on our part. This takes time to read, pray and study the Word of God. Before we are able to communicate the Word of God to the most important people in our lives (wives & children) we have to be in the Word. This responsibility as a father and husband far exceeds our responsibilities to be involved in sports with our children, play video games with them or to be involved in their education. That is not to say that there are not opportunities for those things, just that they take a back seat to learning and communicating the truth of Scripture in word and deed.

What about the role of husbands and fathers as priest in the family? A simple definition of the Priest in the OT was that he went to the people on behalf of God and went to God on behalf of the people. In the OT the Priest Eli did not do this on behalf of his sons. The indictment against him was that he knew what his sons were doing (acting unfaithfully) and he did nothing. These two main functions of the priest were carried primarily by leading the people in worship and interceding on behalf of the people. If we are heads of our families and are to lead them in spiritual matters, then we must also carry out these functions. Leading in worship in the home is essential. This seems to be foreign with most Christian families in our day, but it was not foreign throughout Christian history. Donald Whitney shows the importance family worship has been in the past in his book titled “Family Worship: In the Bible, In History and in the Home.” Family worship is something we also see in the early pages of Scripture. (Genesis 18:19 ESV) For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Abraham had a responsibility to teach them about God and this was done in part through family worship. Think about the most famous story about Abraham: the sacrifice of his son, his only son Isaac. Abraham tells the young men with him to stay there as he and the boy go to worship (Genesis 22:5). You may recall from the story that Isaac begins to ask his dad about what they have to worship. They have everything but the lamb. How did the boy Isaac know that they were missing something in this time of worship? Because they had done it before! Worship was a part of their family life. We have a responsibility to lead our families in worship, not just take them to worship once a week.

The other role of the priest was to intercede. We should be daily interceding for our families, praying for our wives and our children. Bringing them before the throne of grace and asking that the Lord work in their lives, that He keeps them and grows them in the knowledge of Him and His Word.

I know that was an awful lot about family worship from one little OT passage about the responsibility of the priests. But it is not completely without warrant from the context of Malachi 2.  Look at (Malachi 2:15 ESV) Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.  What is one of the main purposes of marriage from this text? To raise godly children! To that end the Lord says to guard ourselves and not be faithless to our wives and by extension to our families.

Let me challenge and encourage everyone with these closing points:

1. Men if you are leading your families as the Scripture so commands may the Lord continue to grow you, challenge you and use you to faithfully lead your families. May the Lord be greatly magnified by your faithfulness and may He work mightily in the hearts and lives of every member of your family. I pray that you are planting seeds for multi generational faithfulness to the Lord our God.
2. Men if you are not leading your families what will it take for you to start fulfilling your God given responsibility in the home. This may be foreign to you and you may feel inadequate and never been taught or trained to lead your family in prayer, Bible reading and worship. There are plenty of resources that will help. This website will give some information and helpful tools. A great and simple book to read to help you is the book referenced earlier by Donald Whitney. You can purchase that resource here. I do not have all the answers, but I am available to help in any way possible.
3. Men if you are not married begin preparing now for that time. Pray and seek wisdom from the Lord to become the man, husband and father that He wants you to be.
4. Wives, if your husband is leading your family in worship then pray for him. Pray for him daily in fulfilling his role as head of the household. Seek wisdom from the Lord on how you can encourage him and help lead your children alongside him.
5. Wives, if your husband is not leading your family in worship then pray and ask for the Lord to convict him, to challenge him and work in his heart that he will see the importance of this role and will take up the mantle of leading the family. In the mean time you do what you can with your children. Teach them the Word and be an example to your husband of a woman of grace and mercy.
6. Women, if you are not married, pray for the Lord to bring this kind of man into your life as your future husband. And do not under any circumstances settle for anything less than a biblical man who will seriously seek the Lord and lead you and your children.

Before I close let me share a quote from the Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter: “You are not likely to see any general reformation until you see family reformation.” Let me re-phrase that just a little: “In North America we are likely not going to see revival in the church until we see revival in the family.”

Below is the information taken from the family worship guide Fall 2009 and can be found at this site: http://familyworshipguide.net/  Although we do not have any formal ties with the website or the ministry we have found this to be extremely helpful.

Please note that they began going through the Bible and the catechism in August so our posts will not correpsond with their web page, but our information was taken from their guide that was published in the fall. If this is your first time considering family worship or you are not familar with it please contact us for help or visit the Family Worship Guide website for more helpful information.

The Catechism questions are from “A Catechism for Boys & Girls” by Tom Nettles.

The entire catechism can be found here.

In addition to this remember that for the singing part feel free to use other songs that might be more familiar for your family.

READ

                              Family Passages                     Personal Passages

Sunday:          Sermon passage                      1 John 1-3

Monday:         Gen. 1:1-19                             1 John 4-5

Tuesday:        Gen. 1:20-31                           Gen. 1, 1 Chron. 1, Eccles. 3:1-8, Luke 1:1-25

Wednesday:   Psalm 1                                   Gen. 2, 1 Chron. 2, Psalm 1, Luke 1:26-56

Thursday:      Prov. 1                                    Gen. 3, 1 Chron. 3, Psalm 2, Luke 1:57-80

Friday:           Matt. 4:1-11                            Gen. 4, 1 Chron. 4, Psalm 3, Luke 2:1-21

Saturday:       Rom. 1:16-17                          Gen. 5, 1 Chron. 5, Psalm 4, Luke 2:22-52

PRAY

ACTS: Adoration – Confession – Thanksgiving – Supplication

Sunday: Pray that God will be glorified through you in the upcoming week.

Monday: Pray for the children and youth in your church.

Tuesday: Pray for the leaders of our nation.

Wednesday: Pray for missionaries spreading the message of Christ throughout the North America.

Thursday: Pray for the men and women serving in the military, police force and firefighters.

Friday: Pray for specific opportunities to bless others.

Saturday: Pray that God will be glorified in tomorrow’s worship gathering.

SING

“Almighty,” no. 4 in The Worship Hymnal

MEMORIZE

Scripture: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” –Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

Catechism:

1. Q. Who made you?

A. God made me (Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:7; Eccles. 12:1; Acts 17:24-29).

2. Q. What else did God make?

A. God made all things (Gen. 1, esp. verses 1, 31; Acts 14:15; Rom. 11:36; Col. 1:16).

While in Acolla we spent considerable time praying, sharing and informal training. The sharing time was spent with a limited number of people. On five different occasions we spent no less than two and half hours each to share and confirm the Gospel. This was a very profitable time as we were able to share a lot about the Word, God and Christ. In addition this laid a foundation of ensuring the truth of the Gospel is shared without rushing people to decisions.

After meeting with two ladies over a period of three days that totalled more than 6 hours the comment was made ‘thank you for showing me that I was in bondage to sin.” One of the people we shared with for a couple of hours was reading his Bible when we showed up. He was reading Numbers when we arrived and Miguel began sharing the Gospel with him and showing up that salvation was not based on works, but faith in what Christ has already done.

Since we left Miguel has been sharing with 5 of these people at least once a week and taking them through a study by Paul Washer called “The One True God.” Pray that during this study that the hearts of the people are encouraged. The foundation is being laid for a strong church in Acolla that will impact the entire valley. We look forward to returning and encouraging them.

One of the differences between Acolla and Huancavelica is the amount of cult and pseudo Christian influence. Acolla has had and still has a lot of this influence. The JW’s are very active along with another group that may not be considered a cult, but is certainly not Christian. Two men we shared with belonged with this group that I am not sure how to label, but they certainly are not Christian. This group is also found in many places throughout Peru and South America. The men we talked with had a mixture of works and seemingly everything else but grace. The concept of grace alone, faith alone was really foreign to them. By God’s grace and good purpose the seeds of truth were planted. Miguel will have opportunities to follow up with these two. Another gentleman we shared with had an affiliation with the JW’s. It sounded like he was not a member, but a regular attendee. We only had a brief amount of time to share with him and every time we went back he was not around. Miguel has been trying to establish contact with him to share further.

Combine these cult (and cult like) influences with the rampant paganism that remains and there will be different challenges between Acolla and Huancavelica. Acolla is certainly a hard place with many challenges, but isn’t that what makes it ripe for harvest? I am reminded of the faith of John Wesley. Upon arriving at a certain place in 1742 he wrote: “I was surprised; so much drunkenness, cursing and swearing (even from the mouths of little children) do I never remember to have seen or heard before in so small a compass of time. Surely this place is ripe for Him who ‘came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Wesley’s conviction was right as a mighty move of God swept through the area. This is a strong reminder that a mighty move of God is not dependant on favourable conditions, but Him who calls. Pray that God gives a tremendous amount of faith to Miguel and those labouring in this area and their dependence is completely on Him. Pray that as God’s people look out over the area they are not discouraged by the conditions, but rather in faith trust God to move in the hearts of those they are witnessing to.

In Jauja both Walter and I had opportunities to preach and spend time with the church. I am very thankful for the church in Jauja and Pastor Mosies is a man of God that desires greatly to see people come to Christ and churches established in Yanamarca and Yucas Valley’s. Pastor Moises has been teaching 10 young men on Saturday’s. The intention of this study is to give them more training similar to a Seminary or a Bible institute. These young men will be a great influence in the area for years to come. Several of these men are already active in going to Acolla and Julcan to teach and assist in Bible studies. Pray that many of these young men will be called to the ministry and the Lord will use them to establish churches throughout the area. In addition to the growth of these young men Walter had the opportunity to teach the youth. They continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am encouraged and refreshed every trip to see their faith and dedication.

Early next week there will be another update that will detail some more specific prayer needs for Acolla, Huancavelica and Jauja. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Walter and I made a quick trip to Huancavelica to see the area, meet some of the people that Jose was working with and get a better understanding of his ministry. This trip was unbelievable. Upon arriving it was evident that this area was not like the villages in the valleys that I was accustomed to. These villages were smaller and spread out across the mountains instead of located in valleys. After meeting Jose’s family he offered to take us up to the top of the nearby mountain to get a look at the five villages that have no believers. This was nearly catastrophic. The elevation was already near 12,000 feet above sea level and we had a ways to go. So we hiked up this mountain to get a visual view of the five villages that have no believers. About ¾ of the way up, at one of the points that Walter and I are gasping for air, Jose pointed to a village way in the distance and said that was the other village that he travels to and teaches. I asked Jose how far away that was. It was a 6 hour walk one way. I was utterly speechless. Two things were crossing my mind. People in North America will not drive 20 minutes to attend church and this man walked 6 hours to minister to 15 people and help them reach more in their community. The only thing I kept thinking of was Hebrews 11:38…Jose was a man of whom the world was not worthy.

This is a man that is need of financial support. It seemed that God had raised him for such a time as this. How could anyone expect him to work in the fields 6 days a week 10 hours a day for his own support, minister to those in his home village, travel 6 hours one way to minister to other believers and help equip both congregations to reach the other 5 communities? That would be an impossible task for anyone.

As we reached the top of this mountain we looked far off in the distance and saw three of the five villages. Each one of these villages is a minimum of a three hour walk. As I mention how it is to walk let me also explain that no one has cars and from these villages there are no buses and taxis. In thinking about how to make this easier my wife suggested a motorcycle. This will be an option in the future to purchase a motorcycle so that Jose can travel from place to place in a significantly quicker time.

So we went on this trip with the intention of supporting two people in one area and have come away with the belief that God has opened another tremendous door for two people in two different areas. This new door is exciting as we explore ways to continue support and help. The first order of business is to obviously a commitment to prayer. Praying for Jose, the two congregations he is leading and the five other villages that have no believers.   

On a lighter note we met Jose’s family. One of the first things that Jose’s mother said to me when we met her was: “today a chicken will die for you.” They had 10 chickens, by lunch time they had 9. Apparently they have a Guinea Pig with my name on it if I able to come back in May. They will cook it up just for me. I know at this point many of you are going to jumping at the chance to go and eat some guinea pig .

This trip to Jose’s village also saw the hand of our sovereign God at work. We had to take this bus from the main highway for a 20 minute ride on a bumpy small dirt road back to Jose’s village. On the ride Walter from HeartCry starts preaching. One of the men is not happy with him. As he is preaching and handing out tracts a lady in the front takes notice, largely because of how loud this man is getting that is not happy. She asks for one of the tracts. When she gets off the bus she calls us over. She knew a little English and is a teacher at the school. She had been trying to teach some English to her students and was also interested in religion. She wanted to know if I would come and share in English about religion and Walter could translate. What a great opportunity. Starting at Creation, then to the fall and to the cross the Gospel was explained to 16 children. I was humbled thinking about God’s sovereignty and leading Walter to preach, getting the woman’s attention so that this class would hear about Christ. I finished by telling them that God was in control of all things and it was not an accident that we were there sharing with them. God was calling on all people everywhere to repent and that included them.

On another lighter note they also got to hear me sing. For anyone that has had the privilege or horror of listening to me you will understand.  They really wanted to hear a song in English. So I sang Amazing Grace and Walter sang it in Spanish. I was able to tell them afterward that one thing was for certain…I was not a liar…I told them beforehand that I was likely the worst singer ever. It also seems like the door is open to go back to this school in May and do some more ministry with the children.

I am sure by now you have thought of some ways to pray for Jose and the district of Huancavelica. On Friday I will share some more specific prayer needs for this area. I will also give the spelling of the two places with believers and the five that have no believers. I still cannot pronounce them.

Here is one of the Bible passages that came to mind as I talked and met with Miguel, Jose and many of the youth from the church in Jauja. (2 John 1:4 ESV) I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And rejoiced greatly would be an understatement. God is stirring their hearts and minds for his purposes and the future of Peru will be in good hands as they grow in Christ and committed His call on their lives. More specifically the faith and dedication of Miguel and Jose was a big blessing. They are growing and committed to God’s call on their life to take the Gospel to the central Andes. Continue to pray for these men, their growth and commitment. In the near future (January 2010) there will be a prayer guide for them and the areas in Peru available.

The main purpose of this trip was for training and helping to establish the church in Acolla. In my opinion this was a big success. A lot of the training was not in a typical class room type setting, but visiting, walking, praying and witnessing. The training focused primarily on two men that we would be supporting in 2010 to start a Church in Acolla. This church in Acolla (Pop. 5,000) will serve as a church planting hub for the entire Yanamarca Valley and beyond into the smaller mountain villages (This would encompass about 20 communities with an estimated population of 20,000 – 25,000).

In the next several days I will add some more posts. Tomorrow I will tell about an awesome opportunity that the Lord has opened for us. Thursday I will talk about prayer needs for Acolla and the time we spent there. On Friday the time I spent in Huancavelica and prayer needs for there.

Before I leave here are some thoughts about mission’s that have come to mind over the past two years of going to Peru.

       o Missionary work is not about working with local churches but through the local churches. This may not seem like it is too different, but there is a world of difference of working with a local church and working through a local church. When it comes to missions (unless there are no local churches) we need to do everything possible to work through them, not just with them. If we have our own vision and try to work with the local churches we are really a parachurch organization and not a local church doing missions. When we work through the local churches and ensure that it is not about doing our thing, but empowering them to do the work and fulfill the vision that God has given them then there will be greater long term success for the Great Commission.

       o Evangelizing Peru is not our job. Our job is to support in every possible way the local believers to reach their own people. That does not mean that we do not do the work of evangelism while we are there, but primarily we should be equipping with our time and resources and praying without ceasing for the advancement of the Gospel into Peru. They have the heart and passion to take the Gospel to the villages and towns and our encouragement and support will help them to fulfill the vision that God has already given them. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. (3 John 1:5-8 ESV)

       o It is better to spend a lot of time with one person to make sure they fully understand the Gospel instead of whipping through gospel presentations trying to get as many decisions as possible. It is the same with making disciples. It is better to devout time to one to make sure it is done right then be spread too thin. Quality is better than quantity.

With that said let me close a mission quote from Brad White, the South American Director for HeartCry Missionary Society: “Missionary work is church work. It is not a steady stream of glamorous and exciting events, but a slow and steady perseverance in preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and shepherding. ”

Wednesday November 11 – Flight from Calgary to Lima. Arrive in Lima at 11:38 PM

Thursday November 12 – First thing in the morning take two boxes for Compassion Children in Peru. Leave by Bus to travel to Jauja with Walter who will be translating for me this trip. We should arrive in Jauja around 6 PM.

Friday November 13 – Praying with Miguel & Jose. Begin praying and walk streets of Acolla. Visit some brothers and sisters we have met before. Invite people to town square on Sunday afternoon for some open air preaching of the gospel.

Saturday November 14 – Youth group will travel with us for witnessing and inviting to preaching service in Sunday afternoon.

Sunday November 15 – Church services in Jauja in the morning. Preaching in Acolla. Maybe around 4 or 5 PM? Will need to work on this.

Monday November 16 – Continue training with Church planters. Get more specific about their roles in discipling.

Tuesday November 17 – Plan Evening Bible study with people in Acolla. Encourage them in the faith and pray and commit them to the Lord’s care. Need to find a place for this Bible study in the previous days.

Wednesday November 18 – Travel back to Lima

Thursday November 19 – Flight back to Calgary. Arrive in Calgary around 12:30 MST.

Praying for this trip:

1. Training for Church Planters. This training will take place in an informal setting. Most will take place as we pray and witness through Acolla.
2. Continued Training from online seminary through Inglesia del Salvador in Lima.
3. Personal Evangelism. Pray that God will bring us into contact with specific people that He has been working on and the Holy Spirit opens their hearts to see the truth and glory of the risen Christ. Also, on Saturday about 9 AM EST we will be taking several youth from the Baptist Church in Jauja that will be going to Acolla to witness.
4. Bible Study. Pray for the gathering of those we have contacted before and those that we will witness and minister to this trip. Establish the beginning of core group for church plant in Acolla.
5. Sunday Services at Biblica Bautista Inglesia in Jauja. Sunday Open air preaching at town square in Acolla.

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=53329206451&ref=mf

We will have some updates on an upcoming trip soon. In the meantime I wanted to introduce you to Brother Walter. Walter has been a tremendous blessing. He is from Argentina and with HeartCry Missionary Society. Since our trip in July he has maintained contact with the church and people in Jauja. Recently he made a trip from Lima to Jauja to visit with the Baptist Church. During this trip he blessed the Lord’s people and spent time preaching and teaching with the youth. Walter is also in the process of coordinating an online seminary for people throughout Peru and South America. The person (s) that we are looking to support will be able to take classes and help with their training through this. All of that said to introduce you to brother Walter and pass along a praise report from his recent trip to Columbia. As you remember Jauja and Peru remember to lift up Walter as well. He is one of the most committed Christians that I have ever met.

“Hi Scott:

I send you a report about our trip to Colombia: Pastor Martin and I were in Colombia in September.

It was a great time there teaching and ministering the Lord and our brothers with great joy and gladness. What a wonderful time among our brothers! We have experienced the love of Christ through our brothers.

We arrived on September 7th and we were sharing with our family in Christ in Colombia on Monday and Tuesday. We were staying at David’s house and he and his family were so good. I am so thankful because of their love to God and to us too. The Lord has saved David last year through hearing Paul’s Washer conference in Alabama and since that day he has grown in love to Christ and giving fruit of holiness, clinging to the Lord every day with great joy. His mother Raquel is a holy woman and I’ve never seen a woman with such a passion to learn and know more about the Gospel and the Glory of Christ displayed on it. She is studying Scriptures every day with diligence, seeking the Lord in humbleness to know God’s will. I praise God for her life and for his passion to be a holy woman for her Lord. Aura is David’s aunt and she was going through difficult times during these last months because she was examining her life and realized she was not living as a Christian. We were able to share with her more about the gospel and the sovereignty of God in saving men but our responsibility to come to Christ in repentance and faith. We cannot give assurance of her salvation and we cannot say if she is really saved but we can show the way they can go through sharing with them the gospel of the Glory of God. There is a pathway of Holiness and if we walk on it we are not going to miss the road (Isaiah 35:8), and the Lord is Almighty to keep us holy till the end without falling. It was a great time with this family, sharing with them what the Lord has taught us in communion with Him. His comfort and great joy has been a blessing in our lives.

Juanita and Daniela are Aura’s daughters. They are two young girls and I am astonished in seeing God’s work in their lives, sanctifying them. Daniela is 16 year old and Juanita is 20. They want to live holy lives in the Lord and are honoring their mother. They are young and we need to ask the Lord for Him to keep them holy in His Son through His Holy Spirit. I pray for their lives so the Lord sanctifies them more and more to serve Him with joy and confidence through Christ His Son.

Andrés is a young pastor of a Presbyterian Church and he and his wife are serving the Lord with great confidence and diligence. I rejoice in the Lord for their lives and I pray the Lord to keep them faithful to His Word. Andrés is a good teacher for God’s grace and he is pastor of a small group of people in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. David and his family are serving the Lord along with Andrés and I am really glad they are attending church where Andrés is pastoring. Andrés has showed a humble spirit in teaching and the Lord has used him to teach me more and more about His character and Word. I Praise the Lord for people like him and especially I rejoice in the Lord for His Work on people like Andrés, he is my brother in Christ and all the Glory is for the Lord. Andrés is teaching in a small group at David´s house and they are studying the letter of John. It has been a blessing for me to study this amazing letter during these days along with Andrés and David and I learnt a lot of things, experiencing the abundant and infinite character of God’s Word, enjoying how sweet the Lord is.

Many brothers showed their love to us and I need to thank the Lord for their lives. Javier is serving the Lord there in Colombia along with Andrés and is a co-pastor. He and his wife are serving the Lord in a Bible Institute too and we pray for their lives, for the Lord to use them to teach sound doctrine. Joanna Amante is another young woman who is serving the Lord with joy and she was in January at Heartcry’s conference. She was not living in obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ but the Lord has saved her and I was able to see another woman, a new one, who fears the Lord and serve Him with delight. I praise the Lord for her and I pray the Lord uses her with power and spirit for His Glory, to manifest his gospel to many people who walk in darkness and blindness.

Many young people were attending to conference and I praise the Lord in seeing youths who serve the Lord with great joy and confidence, seeking the Lord in holiness and trembling before His Word. I was teaching about repentance, regeneration, justification, and sanctification.

I was teaching about revelation too, especially the special revelation of God through His Word and in Christ, the living Word. Martin was teaching about The Church too and brothers were so thankful for all this time there teaching them more about the Lord and His Word. We were teaching about the Attributes of God and especially about His Sovereignty. We had different times of questions and answers and our brothers were making some interesting questions on different topics.

We were preaching the Gospel at different parks with our brothers and it was a great time sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with many people. I had a great joy in seeing young people preaching the Gospel with confidence and boldness from the Lord. We were preaching in the main park in front of the Congress and sharing with many people. We were testifying about the Lord in buses too and it was a wonderful experience. We had to deal with some people, who were angry with us because of the Gospel, but the Lord was good all the time with us and we relied on His mercy and grace to us. It was an amazing time, but we need to say that people are so stubborn and they hear the Gospel but the veil is still before their eyes and their heart and they cannot see unless the Lord removes this veil. I felt so sorry for many people, but the Lord is good and merciful. I met a man who was so sad and upset because his wife and children went away from him. He was a bad man with them and he was angry with God for this situation. I began to talk about the Gospel to him and he realized he was guilty, but he was expecting the Lord give him back his family. The Lord is good, but we have to love Him not because of what he gives but because of what HE IS. This man understood this but the Lord only knows about him. He is good and is able to do whatever He wants.

We had a lot of good times in Colombia and I praise my Lord for His mercy upon our lives. I miss a lot my brothers over there. The love of God is so manifest in them and I find peace and comfort in knowing this, because this is a clear evidence of those who are Christ’s disciples: they love each other. These were great days and I thanks God for our time in Colombia along with our brothers in Christ. We were really blessed through their lives.”

Look up Revelation 2:12-17 or you can click here and read it in the ESV. Just a reminder that for the purposes of these posts we will not be discussing the opening vision of the risen Christ and the closing blessing for the faithful that is mentioned to each church. These are great topics, but our time and space is limited and for these purposes we will be looking at insights for the church in the 21^st century to help us to be faithful as the bride of Christ.  

From the very beginning we see that Pergamum had a significant issue for praise: they held fast the name of Christ. Pergamum was not an easy place to be a Christian in the 1^st century. Emperor worship was stronger here than in any other place in Asia. In addition to this there were a host of pagan temples and deities that were worshipped. They stood strong in the face of intense persecution. One thing to remember from this passage is that they were not only standing strong, but they were also proclaiming Christ even when it meant possible death. The passage does not say it in those words, but we must remember that the culture at this time allowed a lot of diversity in regards to religion. Christians did not get in trouble because they worshipped Christ, they got in trouble because they worshipped only Christ, would not worship the emperor and they proclaimed Christ as the only Lord. They understood that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one could come to the Father but through Him[i] and that by no other name would a person be saved.[ii] Praise God for the church at Pergamum that stood against the false religions of their day and proclaimed Christ is Lord. May we continue to follow their example in believing that truth, holding to that truth and proclaiming that truth! Let us also remember that we have many brothers and sisters around the world that are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith. May they remember the words of Jesus to the church at Smyrna: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. And may we be encouraged and strengthened by their example of faith.

So they were very faithful in regards to the false religions of their day, but they were not as faithful with false teaching within the church. As a matter of fact their unwillingness to deal with false teaching from within was leading them to the point of God’s judgment. The words of Christ are strong and after they are chastised for tolerating this false teaching they are given two choices: repent or Christ will come and fight against them. I know that is a prospect that none of us want to experience. The danger of these false teachers is that they were trying to destroy the faith from within. Obviously most of them would not have used those words. Actually they likely would say something along the lines that they were presenting an improved or more correct way of understanding Christ. This is the danger of false teaching within the church. They do not come dressed like wolves. False teachers look like sheep, they sound like sheep, but Jesus said they are wolves in sheep’s clothing[iii]. They are masquerading as true believers when they are not.

The false teaching that they were allowing had to do with eating things sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Both of these issues the Apostles had already dealt with. If you recall there was an apostolic council about the relationship between the law and the gentiles. Some Jewish believers were advocating that the gentile believers needed to follow circumcision and the laws of Moses. The Apostles met and discussed the matter and said that the gentiles were not obligated to follow the law. In their letter to the gentile churches they included these words (the specific command is given in Scripture to avoid things sacrificed to idols and to fornication):

Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:24-29 ESV)

So the clear command of Christ was to avoid these things and some of the teachers in Pergamum were advocating that this was OK. Unfortunately nothing has changed in 2,000 years. Every generation has false teachers and teachings that the church must deal with. In those cases many times the people that are called to deal with them feel a lot like Jude (see book Jude for reference). Nevertheless those issues must be handled.

Just how should the church handle these things? I think two avenues of wisdom are needed. The first would be a proper understanding of the difference between essential and non essential issues of doctrine and practice (See below for list of essential Christian doctrines.)[iv] We can have some issues of disagreement that are not essential. In the case of non essentials it is good to have healthy debate and way the scriptural merits of various positions, but these non essential issues are not an area that need dealt with in the same manner as those that are essential. With essential issues there can be no compromise. The false teachers that teach and advocate doctrines contrary to that which is essential need to be handled with the same process as other issues of church discipline. A refusal to repent and align with the sound teaching of Scripture[v] leads to only one response from the church: removal from the church. For some people this may sound harsh and unloving, but actually this is the only way to respond in love. When and if the church is called on to act in such a manner they are acting from a passion for God’s glory, a belief in His truth and are looking out for the best interests of the individual and the church body as a whole. Remember that these issues were so serious that Jesus said if they do not repent that He would come and war against them (Revelation 2:16). The second thing is that we respond with the proper balance of speaking the truth in love. We have already hinted at this, but this is important. Taking a stand for the truth is important, but it must be done with humility and flow from a love for God and the people of God. Whenever dealing with false teaching and teachers in the church, elders and individuals must examine their own hearts and motives to make sure that they are acting in accordance with God’s Word and from a pure heart and motive.

What we learn from the church at Pergamum is that they did a good job in the face of persecution from false religions, but they did a poor job in handling false teaching within the Church.

So as a recap we have seen three churches and at least 7 things that are pertinent for the church in the 21^st century as it was in the 1^st century:

1. Preach, Teach and Practice Sound Doctrine- Ephesus
2. Protect the Body of Christ from Error- Ephesus & Pergamum
3. Consistent increase of love for Christ, His Church and the world- Ephesus
4. Seek Heavenly treasures, not worldly acclaim- Smyrna
5. Be prepared to be tested- Smyrna
6. Be faithful no matter the cost & during persecution – Smyrna & Pergamum
7. Speak the Truth in Love about false teaching- Pergamum

Next week we will attempt to deal with the church at Thyatira.

[ii] (Acts 4:12 ESV)  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

[iii] (Matthew 7:15-16 ESV) “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

[iv] Essential Christian Doctrines:

Bible- the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. This includes with it the sufficiency and authority of Scripture for our lives and the direction of the church, the body of Christ.

God- A belief in one God that is expressed in three persons: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. This triune God is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving.  God created the universe from nothing and He rules sovereign over His creation, including both human and angelic beings.

Man- God created mankind in His own image; he created both male and female in His own image. Man was originally created innocent, but disobeyed God and sinned against Him, bringing sin into the whole human race. Because of sin, humanity is helpless to save itself and is worthy of death. Without His redemption and sustaining power, all persons will fall into condemnation. In addition to this the extent of sin is so great that its effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, sickness, suffering, and death.

Christ- Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who is fully God and fully man; was born of a virgin and came into the world to pay the penalty for sins. He was buried and the third day rose from the dead signifying His victory over death and will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people.

Salvation- Eternal life is God’s gift of grace that only comes through faith in His Son. Faith in Christ is the only means by which mankind can escape eternal damnation and judgment.  

[v] If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain… But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 11-12 ESV)