How shall they hear? Has dado su vida?

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

I saw a picture frame one time, and it had a picture of a city. It was a pretty large city, easily a million people. And that was just what was in the picture. I’m sure there were many more. And written on the frame was, “Untold millions of millions untold…and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

And that’s a very valid question? I didn’t lead myself to the Lord. Someone else had to show me I was a sinner, and needed God to save me. I’d even heard the gospel at that point more than enough to understand what it meant.

And there are millions of millions of people, every day, slipping off into an eternity in hell, and we’re not doing anything to even slow them down on their way. Sure, people will reject the gospel, but our job isn’t to save. Our job is to tell, and to make the gospel available to those who want it.

Not everyone is a preacher. But everyone can help send a preacher, or a missionary. I really like to describe it like this: “If you aren’t going to the field, you’re sending someone to the field.”

Which are you doing?

Rom 12:1 ASI que, hermanos, os ruego por las misericordias de Dios, que presentéis vuestros cuerpos en sacrificio vivo, santo, agradable á Dios, que es vuestro racional culto.

Isaías 53:5 nos dice que Cristo se ofreció por nosotros. El nos dio su proprio ser como un regalo. Entonces, debe ser muy fácil ofrecernos a Dios, como un sacrificio vivo y santo. Y muchas dirán, “Que locura! Este es demasiado!” Pero, La Biblia dice que es un culto racional.

Jesucristo dio su vida por ti. ¿Has dado su vida a Él?

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Love, y nos llamó

Romans 7 -Romans 8

For me, the most applying part of these chapters is 8:1 and 8:30. It shows me how much God truly loves me, that no matter what I do, He won’t condemn me for it. It’s easy to love someone when he or she isn’t doing anything wrong, but when he/she makes a mistake, or does something that’s bothersome, that love is quickly tested. Not so with God.

Not only does He love us and won’t condemn us, but He’s already glorified me. Because verse 30 is all in the past tense, which has to mean that my glorification has already taken place. But I’m not glorified on the earth, so it must have taken place in heaven.

It’s so good to serve a God who knows all the mistakes I’ve made, or will make, yet holds nothing against me, and decided to glorify me.

Romanos 9-

A mí, la cosa más impresionante de este capítulo es al amor. Pablo amaba a sus hermanos tanto que él quería recibir su castigo y quería que ellos fueron libres. Deseo tener este tipo de amor por los que están en mi vida.

Pero, al otro lado, el amor de Dios es más grande y mejor que el amor de Pablo. Aunque no éramos el pueblo de Dios, El decidió a llamarnos para ser su pueblo. Y no hay otra manera de mostrar un amor que este. Aunque Dios no tenía que llamarnos, el nos llamó, por su Hijo, a cause de su amor.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Tragedy in Togo.

Now, I love football (soccer) as much as the next guy, but I also understand that, at the end of the day, it's just a game. Granted it's a game that can make a day great or turn it sour, but it's still a game. I'd never fight anyone or do anything ridiculous over a game...even with a Chelsea fan.

Because it's just a game....I wish some people knew that. I take this quote from espnsoccernet.com…

"The Togo national team bus has been machine-gunned by Angolan rebels on the Congolese border ahead of the African Nations Cup. Two players are reported to be injured and a Togolese sports ministry spokesman said the bus driver had been killed"

It’s a shame that people can take something so trivial, such as a sport, and take someone’s life because of it. But when it’s all people have, it become more than just a game. People can get all worked up over things that don’t matter, yet we, as Christians, having knowledge of the things that do matter, and will matter for eternity, aren’t doing anything about it.

In Angola, people are machine gunning busses over a game of footy. In the states, you have to hold people at machine gun point to get them to even think of taking the gospel to Angola.

Now, I’m not saying we should go and machine gun busses, because that’s a pretty good way to ruin a testimony, nut I think we could be a little bit more passionate about the God we serve. Grown men will paint their bodies from head to toe for a two hour match, and we (myself included on this one) hate wearing ties for more than two hours at church.

Oh, to see a day when humans were as passionate in their service to the Lord as they were about sports.

Books.

I've actually got a good bit done because of my flu. Mostly reading, though. There are some books taht are just very tough to read and comprehend well enough that it does you any good. I feel like I'm reading two of them right now.

"The Normal Christian Life" is a very, very good book by Watchman Nee, but it's also very, very in depth. And this depth applies to my life on so many levels that if I were to read through it, I feel that I'd be robbing myself of all the information I could get. I highly recommend this book.

"Spain's Civil War" is also very in depth, but also has lots and lots of dates and people to memorize/keep in line. More than 15 pages at a time is confusing for me.

But that's about most of my time right there....either reading...or mostly passed out asleep. The label on my medication says "caution, may cause drowsiness."

Talk about an understatement. That stuff could stun an ox.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Three things the flu has taught me

I can deal with missing work because I'm sick. I don't like it, but I can deal with it. What really bothers me, is that I'm not able to be working at the church right now.

And I know that I'm not so instrumental in the work there that I have to be there, because I'm not. I don't think I've helped a bit in the new building, but work is still being done. I just wish I could be there, because I want to be there.

And Ben Johnson sent me an article about not wasting my flu, which is really something that helped me. Even though I've not always enjoyed this flu, it's been a blessing from the Lord in a few ways.

1-It gave me a chance to see how much people really do care about me, and are willing to help me. Alex Montero gave up his Tuesday night, and valuable sleep time to take me to the hospital. And Chris Fies came down to visit me while I was in the ER. Neither of these men had to do what they did; they chose to do so on their own free will. And that really shows me how much they care for me, and I really do appreciate that. It's also good to know that I have a church family who prays for me constantly, and even more so when I'm sick. I'm grateful for such loving people.

2-It's given me some time to spend at home, which has provided me with an opportunity to clean up a little bit. And that's a good thing, because the place needed some cleaning. It might not be the most illustrious work, but it really did need to be done.

3-It made me grateful for having such a merciful landlord. Mark Coffey fronted the money for my medication when I didn't have it. (Of course, I did have to pay him back....we're Baptists after all) But even that is a really generous offer. He went out of his way to help me, and I really appreciate that.

And there's more and more that I've learned through this flu, but I think the thing that stands out the most is this:

appreciate your health!

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Don't stagger! y un hábito

Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

This is such an encouraging verse to me. Abraham was old, and stricken with age, yet he believed that God would fulfill His promise, and give him a child. Even though Sarah was old, and seemingly barren, Abraham still knew God would come through on His promises.

And those promises are still as poignant today as they were for Abraham. Any promise that God has made us, through His word, will not fail us. He’ll always be with us, He’ll always provide for us, He’ll always work things out for good, and He’ll never condemn us.

Another interesting point about these verses is that Abraham was persuaded. If someone is persuaded, it means that his/her opinion has been changed, or made to be a certain way. In this case, Abraham believed God because of all the other things He had done in his life.

And that’s a very important thing. If we look at what God’s done for us in the past, it will be much easier to trust Him in the future.

Rom 6:19 Humana cosa digo, por la flaqueza de vuestra carne: que como para iniquidad presentasteis vuestros miembros á servir á la inmundicia y á la iniquidad, así ahora para santidad presentéis vuestros miembros á servir á la justicia.

Creo que, muchas veces, pecamos porque es un hábito y porque solemos pecar. Pero Pablo dice aquí que no debemos vivir así. Y debemos reemplazar nuestro pecado con las cosas de Dios. Y los pecados que hacíamos de hábito, debemos entregar a Dios para que el nos de algo nuevo, que no es un pecado.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Sickness, and what it's teaching me.

As I remain at home (aka Mark's basement) sick with the flu, I really have had a lot of time to think about things.

And I wonder why it is that God allowed me to catch the flu, and to catch it as severely as I have. But I realize that it could have been a lot worse. It could have been pneumonia, or even worse than that. But I also realize that it's not my job to understand why things happen.

Call me a liberal and mock me, but I was listening to 104.7 "The Fish" in the car the other day, and one of the lines from a song really stuck out to me:

-I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed, what God has planned.

And the more I think about that, the more I realize that I'll never understand why God lets some things happen. But He lets them happen. And I know that they all work out for good, even if I don't always understand it.

All I have to do is keep serving the Lord, and learn to bee content with whatsoever state I am in, as Paul would put it. And that's a hard lesson to learn, but it's one of the most valuable around. Because if one could learn that lesson, there would be much less complaning, and much more praise to the Lord.

And I'm doing what I can to be content, and to make a decision to praise the Lord even though things don't look the best to me right now. But the way things look to me doesn't matter.

As long as God's in control, it'll all work out for me in the end. But pray that I'd learn to be content no matter what my situation.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Greeks and Barbarians y la verdad

Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

I really admire Paul’s view of people. In this scripture, he views everyone as equal, because they all need the gospel equally. It becomes so easy, at times, to let personal grudges stop us from preaching the gospel, and carrying out the work the Lord has for us.

And that’s why it’s important to die to ourselves. Because is we preach to who we want to preach to, then the gospel won’t get taken to the whole world. But if we preach to everyone, even those we might not want to preach to, the gospel will be carried to the ends of the earth.

Rom 3:3 ¿Pues qué si algunos de ellos han sido incrédulos? ¿la incredulidad de ellos habrá hecho vana la verdad de Dios?

Rom 3:4 En ninguna manera; antes bien sea Dios verdadero, mas todo hombre mentiroso; como está escrito: Para que seas justificado en tus dichos, Y venzas cuando de ti se juzgare.

Hoy dia, hay muchas personas que no creen en el Señor. O no creen que Jesús es el Salvador del mundo. Y aunque ellos no creen, no cambia la verdad. Por ejemplo, so yo tengo 5 dólares, pero digo y creo que tengo 7 dólares, la verdad es que tengo 5 dólares.

Es el mismo con Dios. Si alguien no cree en Dios o en el cielo o infierno, no cambia la verdad. Pablo dice que no habrá hecho vano la verdad de Dios. La verdad de Dios es la verdad, si la creemos o no. No podemos cambiar la verdad, pero podemos aceptar y vivir por la verdad.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Animo y a bit extra

Act 27:22 Mas ahora os amonesto que tengáis buen ánimo; porque ninguna pérdida habrá de persona de vosotros, sino solamente de la nave.

Act 27:23 Porque esta noche ha estado conmigo el ángel del Dios del cual yo soy, y al cual sirvo,

Aunque estaban los varones en un gran tempestad y habían muchos problemas por todos partes, Pablo tenía fe en Dios. Y Dios le dijo que nadie moriría. Y leemos que Pablo tenía buen ánimo. Y este ánimo viene de su fe en Dios. Fe en Dios el necesario a tener animo cuando pasamos por las cosas peores en nuestras vidas.

Act 28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:

Act 28:10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Even though Paul was stranded on an island, he didn’t stop doing the Lord’s work. No matter where we are, we ought to do the same thing. There is no place in the world where the Lord’s work should not be done, and we shouldn’t ever let anything stop us from doing it.

We also see that Paul, as an added bonus to being kept alive and safe, was given many honours from the people of the island. God is faithful to provide our needs no matter what, but sometimes, as a result of our work, we can be given an extra blessing.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Where do you live?

Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Php 1:22 But if I live in the flesh...

I struggle sometimes with living in the flesh, and doing what I want to do, and living in my desires. And, to be perfectly honest, I've been walking in the flesh more than I'd like to admit lately. And today, I really saw the remedy for that.

Pastor Gardner was preaching an awesome message, and I sat there, and didn't even listen for a few minutes. But that's when I really saw my remedy.

Paul says that his life is Christ, but....

And the word "but" is used to join to opposing ideas together. And it's followed by the word "if", which is used to make something conditional.

And here Paul says that if he's in Christ, he isn't in the flesh.

Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Php 1:22 But if I live in the flesh

But if I live in the flesh....I can't be living in Christ.

And the secret to not living in the flesh is to live in Christ. Because IF you're in Christ, you can't be in the flesh.

It really opened my mind, and I'm extremely grateful for the Lord showing me that. And I'm sure that's basic knowledge, but it really helped me.

And then I started paying attention again.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

I got some pretty good things at the summit.

But I think the thing that the (like that alliteration?) Lord spoke to me about was this:

"You've surrendered your future to me, but what about your present. You say that you'll give your future to me and serve me as a missionary, but what about tomorrow? What about today?"

I learned quite a bit more, but I really only feel like I should blog about just that, at least for right now.

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.

Special miracles y presto a morir!

Act 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

From the little bit of research that I’ve done, there would have been about 9 million people in Asia at this time. For 9 million people to hear the gospel is a pretty amazing feat. And that’s the power of God, working in a man. The next verse tells us that God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.

I think it would be amazing, what would happen, if we were to ask God to work a special miracles by our hands in the world today.

Act 21:13 Entonces Pablo respondió: ¿Qué hacéis llorando y afligiéndome el corazón? porque yo no sólo estoy presto á ser atado, mas aun á morir en Jerusalem por el nombre del Señor Jesús.

Pablo, misionero de misionero, y un hombre quien estaba presto a morir. Pero, no estaba presto solamente a morir, sino a morir por el nombre de Jesús. Todos van a morir. Pero, moriremos solamente porque somos viejos? O moriremos por el nombre de Jesús?

Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.