Mission: Nicaragua - Itinerary - August 2011

For those of you who are interested in our upcoming mission trip to Nicaragua, here is our itinerary. It is designed to serve as a strategic prayer guide for those who will commit to pray for our work there. Thank you for all the support you have given through prayer and donations and will continue to give through prayer.

Nicaragua Mission Trip August 4th- 15th

Thursday, August 4^th- Friday, August 5^th

• Travel to Nicaragua

 Saturday, August 6^th

• Purchase School Uniforms/Book bags
• Sort Donated Items from Shipping Container

 Sunday, August 7^th 

• Visit Village of Nuevo Jicarito – Approx 25 Families with 60 children
• Visit Village of Las Mesitas – Approx 150 Children

 Monday, August 8^th

• Visit Village of Flor de Azalia – Approx 110 Children; Distribute Book bags and School Supplies to Teachers
• Visit Village of  Becerro – Approx 40 Families with 100 children

 Tuesday, August 9th

• Visit Village of San Manglito – Approx 155 Children; Take Pictures Village & Land where church will be
• Visit Village of Los Laredos – Approx 150 Children

 Wednesday, August 10^th

• Wedding

 Thursday, August 11^th

• Pastors Conference/Training in Somotillo (8am-3pm) – Distribute Pastor Resources (Books, bags, pens, notebooks
• Lunch with Pastors/Wives
• Movie night at the Church in Somotillo 5:00pm

  Friday, August 12^th

• Visit Village of Cinco Pinos
• 9am meeting with Ladies in Village for Basket program
• Visit church in Cinco Pinos Approx 150 Children

Saturday, August 13^th – Sunday, August 14^th

• Travel

 Along with the activities listed above, in each village we will also be:

• Sharing the gospel
• Distributing school supplies to the children
• Updating the children’s profiles and pictures for their sponsors
• Feeding the people
• Playing games
• Bible story/VBS
• Distributing clothes and shoes
• Distributing hygiene packs

 Your prayers are much needed and greatly appreciated. This trip will touch the lives of over 1,000 children and their families in 8 villages. Please pray for the village will be serving in each day that God would move and souls would be won for the kingdom. Pray for healing in a hurting country. Pray for the time we will be training the pastors while we are there because their influence and work for God can reap an unimaginable harvest over the course of their lives. We also ask that you please pray for Phil Shouse who will be preaching both Sundays in my absence on the mission trip.

Nicaragua Fast Facts (compared with U.S.)- info from Operation World

§  Area- 127,849 sq km. The largest of the Central American republics, Nicaragua is about the size of Mississippi

§  Nicaragua is a secular state with complete religious freedom since 1990.

§  Population- 5,822,265 (U.S. 317,641,087)

§  Official language- Spanish (U.S. English)

§  Literacy- 76.7% (U.S. 99%)

§  Income per person- $1,028 (U.S. $47,440). $2.81 per day (U.S. $129.97 per day)

§  Protestants- 21.25% (U.S. 27.51%)

The Church is not God's Temple- part 2

In part one, we began looking at an erroneous teaching which has become very popular in much of America: the church is God’s house or the church is the temple of God. We established that the likely reason this misconception arose is due to confusion over the Old Testament teachings regarding the Temple of Israel. We also established some strange beliefs, and rules, that religious people create for church buildings when the temple teachings are imposed on the church buildings. To clarify terms in this note, my use of the phrase “religious people” is not synonymous with a biblical Christian. “Religious people” more closely resemble the Pharisees in the New Testament, in that they impose man made rules and traditions on others as a requirement for salvation, church membership, and fellowship.

In the New Testament, the word “temple” still refers to a dwelling place for God. Further, the New Testament teaches that God still lives in a temple. So, why is the church building not this temple? I spoke of a wonderful reality in the last paragraph of part 1. The wonderful reality is this: in the New Testament there is a radical change in where God lives. 1Corinthians 3:16 explains this change; “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1Corinthians 3:17 teaches that God’s temple is still to be a holy dwelling place, but now the temple is no longer a building. God’s temple is you. 1Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

God no longer lives in a building. He lives in believers. Meditate on that. It’s huge! This has implications for both the buildings and the people. As far as the buildings go, they are bricks and mortar. There is nothing special about them. There is nothing holy about the inside of the buildings, nor do any of the objects inside have any special significance. God does not live in churches. In fact, God does not set foot in the buildings unless a believer walks inside. The altar is not holy ground which only certain people can step on because an altar is a place to make sacrifices. Hopefully, we don’t still have altars. Hebrews 9:24-28 teaches that Jesus has offered himself up, once and for all as the final perfect sacrifice. We do not need to sacrifice animals any longer; therefore there is no need for an altar. Dress codes are a tradition born out of preference. God doesn’t care about the way a person looks on the outside. God cares about our heart. Jesus addressed this very same issue in Matthew 23:25-33. Silence is reverent in some traditions (Psalm 46:10), in others loud, joyous praise is in order (2Samuel 6:14-15; Psalm 150). Sadly, the first point we often miss is this: silence is rotten if the heart is rotten. Loud, joyous praise is rotten if the heart is rotten. Suits and ties are rotten if the heart is rotten. Cut off jeans and tank-top shirts are rotten if the heart is rotten. The second point we miss is this: anything—yes, this includes every tradition we’ve ever had or will ever have—that we worship other than God is idolatry (Ex. 20:3-6; Deut. 5:7-9). The subtle trap behind this is: religious people worship buildings and man-made traditions and rules; Christians worship Jesus. 

God does not live in buildings any longer. He lives in believers. The implications of this for people are enormous. Missing this point could very well mean the difference between heaven and hell, and we will look at that in part 3. And because not every tradition is bad, we will look at how Christians should handle traditions in part 4.

The Church is not God's Temple- part 1

First, to clarify terms, the word “church” in this note refers to a building. Second, I am fully aware that the word “church” in the Bible never once refers to a building. The problem is that somewhere along the line, people began wrongly believing that the church buildings we see on the side of the road are what the Bible is talking about when it uses the word “church.” Because of this widespread misconception, many people began to believe that the church building is some sort of holy place. A popular false teaching, still somewhat prevalent in our day, is that the church is God’s house, or that the church is the temple of God. It may not seem like a big deal but the implications of believing this error can mean the difference between heaven and hell.

First, it helps to understand what the Bible means when it uses the word temple. Throughout the Old and the New Testament, there are basically two different meanings behind the word “temple.” The first meaning refers to something (or someone) that is sacred, consecrated, or set apart. Examples of this usage are: temple servants (1Chr. 9:2), vessels for temple service (Jer. 52:18), and officers of the temple (Luke 22:52). The second meaning, which is far more common, refers to a dwelling place for God or a god. The main example of this throughout the Bible is the temple of Jerusalem which is likely where the confusion about church buildings begins.

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people had a magnificent temple which started as a traveling tabernacle during the Exodus out of Egypt. God gave Moses very detailed instructions as to how he was to construct this tabernacle along with all of the holy instruments to be used for worship in the temple. When it was completed, God came down from heaven and took up residence there. Because God lived inside this temple, the entire structure was a very holy place. People were restricted access to certain areas, sacrifices were brought there daily because it was where God lived, and there was a great reverence which surrounded the place.

Many people mistake our modern church buildings with the Old Testament temple and wrongly transfer Old Testament teachings regarding the temple onto the church. When a person does this, any number of strange beliefs can result. Some believe that the church is God’s house and that God actually lives there. Some believe that it is a holy place which must be held in great reverence. Some believe the objects inside have some magical, sacred property and must be handled in a certain manner. Some believe that people should be restricted access to certain parts of the building (i.e. the area called the “altar.”) Some believe that people should conduct themselves in a certain manner (i.e. no hats, no drinks, no talking, get dressed up, etc.) The list of rules, developed by religious people (not Christians) goes on and on.

The fact of the matter is: all of these rules would still apply to a church building if it really was still a holy place where God lived. Thankfully, the Bible is very clear that the church building is not God’s house and we will look at that wonderful reality in part 2.

The Other Gospel

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be cursed—Galatians 1:9

Chances are pretty good that you heard this contrary gospel preached in some way, shape, or form last Sunday.

Fair warning: this post may be offensive. If you do not wish to be offended, please stop reading here. I have come to the conclusion that Jesus is extremely offensive. He is offensive because His teachings convict us of our sin. Yet, while He is offensive, He is also God so He has every right to offend. 

We don’t like to be offended. When we are convicted by something Jesus says, we basically do one of three things: (1) confess and repent of our sin or of our religion, (2) slightly change the interpretation of the passage so that it does not apply to us, or (3) just ignore Jesus.

The first option is obviously the correct biblical response to God. The third one is obviously the incorrect biblical response to God. The second choice is obviously wrong but at the same time it is subtly dangerous. It is my contention that this second choice is how most Christians in America approach the Bible.

Here are some examples. See if any sound familiar:

Does Matthew 28:19-20 apply to you? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Does Jesus expect you to take the gospel to all nations?

Does Luke 6:38 apply to you? “Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Do you believe that you can’t out-give God?

Does Acts 1:8 apply to you? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Does Jesus expect you to be his witness to the end of the earth?

Does John 14:14 apply to you? “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it?” Do you believe that you can ask Jesus for anything and He will do it?

Does Luke 14:33 apply to you? “Anyone who does not give up all that have cannot be my disciple.” Does Jesus expect you to give up everything to be His disciple?

Does Matthew 11:28 apply to you? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Do you believe that you can come to Jesus for rest?

So, the question is: Do all of those examples apply directly to your life? I’d be willing to bet that you answered “No. They don’t all apply directly to my life.” Naturally, you would argue, a person needs to have a specific missionary call for the 1^st or 3^rd example to apply. And if you’ve ever heard Luke 14:33 preached, or read it for yourself, it has always come with the attached phrase, “But Jesus doesn’t expect everyone to do this.” And I’d take my money to the bank on the fact that you definitely claimed the promises of the 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th example for yourself.

If this sounds like you, then please realize that you may be guilty of responding to Jesus the second way mentioned above—that of slightly changing the interpretation of the passage so that it doesn’t apply to you. I would leave you with one question to consider as you think about this: By what authority do you have the right to pick and choose which passages apply to you and which ones don't?

Best Comprehensive Book on Marriage, Family, & Other Relevant Issues: A Book Review of God, Family, and Marriage by Andreas J. Kostenberger with David W. Jones

God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas J. Kostenberger and David W. Jones (Crossway, 2010) is, to date, the best book that I have read on God’s design for marriage, the family and the various other issues it addresses. The biblical exegesis is solid and faithful to the biblical authors original intent in the covered the texts. The issues tackled in the book are very much alive and relevant to our modern culture. Kostenberger does a wonderful job of bringing God’s meaning from the biblical world to bear on the modern day dilemmas we face while not being afraid to admit to certain issues that are not specifically addressed in the Bible. In the instances where a problem is not specifically touched upon in the Bible, the author shows the reader how to apply overarching biblical principles in order to reach a biblical worldview regarding the issue.

Throughout the book, Kostenberger’s goal is to determine God’s original intention and purpose for marriages and families. What makes the book a must have resource is the broad range of issues addressed. These include looking at marriage and the family in the Old and New Testaments along with God’s purpose for making humans male and female. This latter chapter includes a discussion of the biblical role of sex in a couple’s marriage which is often a taboo area in evangelical Christianity. Further, the book also addresses many special issues which tend to get overlooked until they arise in a marriage or family and create their own problems due to lack of biblical education. These issues include: to have or not have children including the use of birth control methods and artificial reproductive technologies; parental methods; single parenting; to use or not to use physical discipline; cultivating masculinity and femininity in children; parenting teens; and even spiritual warfare in the family (I was pleasantly surprised by this inclusion). An unexpected, but very relevant, chapter is also included on singleness. The book then turns to handle some of the more controversial issues at stake in our society: homosexuality; divorce and remarriage; and qualifications for church leadership. The revised second addition also includes the addition of a chapter on how the church and the family are to relate to one another specifically addressing the “family-integrated church approach.” The appendix includes another chapter on the exception clause from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19:9 and the Pauline Privilege in 1 Corinthians 7:15. If you are one of us who enjoy reading the footnotes and endnotes, this book will worth it to you just for these 89 pages at the back packed with many other sources to study.

The book is wonderful. I have officially made it the primary source in my pre-marriage and marriage counseling classes. I would recommend it to all marriage counselors and pastors. I also believe that it is an excellent resource for every couple to have on their bedside table even though a few of the areas might be considered semi-technical.

Maximum Gospel Impact: A Review of Radical Together by David Platt (Multnomah Books, 2011)

Radical Together by David Platt (Multnomah Books, 2011) is a stand-alone sequel to his first book Radical which created tidal waves with the call to each Christian to take back his or her faith from the American Dream. It met with mixed reaction from the Christian world. The sequel, Radical Together, shows how individuals can unite together as God intended them to do in order to create maximum gospel impact. This second book will likely meet the same reception from American Christianity. Those whom are comfortably chasing the American dream while reinventing the gospel to suit their individual situations will likely dislike this book as much as the first. Those whom understand that God’s mission is global in scope will welcome this book as a much needed revival wind. 

When I started the book, in all honesty, I did not expect much. Radical was awesome and I expected this to be more of the same information rehashed and repackaged in a new cover with a new target—focused on the group as opposed to the individual. I was wrong. David Platt immediately grabs the reader’s attention with his well written, easy to understand style and solid biblical exegesis. Once again he leads the open-minded person to wonder, “How did I miss that simple point in all the times I’ve read that passage.”  

Radical Together focuses more on the church as a group entity and brings to light many of the issues which cause us to stumble over our own feet and inadvertently prevent God’s people from accomplishing God’s purpose. Platt organizes the book around six of these premises. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. The Word does the work. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. We are living—and longing—for the end of the world. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Throughout the book, the author takes each principle and expounds it with real life examples, colorful illustrations, and supporting Scripture references. The style is easy to read and understand yet at the same time somber and challenging. Each principle brings the reader face-to-face with a very real decision: Do I agree that the church belongs to Christ and exists for a global purpose? Or, will I continue to assert that the church belongs to us exists to serve me?

Radical Together is a must read that will challenge every Christian’s view of the church body in some form or another. Leaders will be forced to examine the direction they are taking the church body in which God has entrusted to their stewardship. Members will be forced to examine the idols of church life in which they hold dear and determine whether or not they will smash these idols in order to allow the church to focus on God’s plan.