Small update
All is well. I will be speaking at Oakland tonight.
November 29, 2006
November 24, 2006
Anton's travels
So, I venture away from Chicagoland and head south for the winter tomorrow. All is well. I promise to put up something of worth soon.
November 21, 2006
Made it alive to
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 19, 2006
Safe
I am currently in Houston and will leave tomorrow for Chicago. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.
November 15, 2006
Coming to the USA
I made it home without any trouble and enjoyed visiting the pueblos and missionaries Sheny and Stephanie who will be leaving the field and headed to their homes in December. Please remember those whom they have worked and ministered along as it is hard for them to leave these relationships. Pray that God would also give them peace and guidance into what he would have them to do in their future.
Also, on Monday I am scheduled to depart here and arrive in Chicago Illinois and return home 6 January 2007. I will spend the first week with my dad and brother and his family and then head to the south for sharing with churches and meeting with others. Also, it will be a great time of compiling year end reports.
November 12, 2006
Travel
I will be out of town Monday and Tuesday. I am not sure that I will have internet access.
Winning souls, that's what it is all about right?
If I were to take a test, I am sure I would test out for an Evangelist. As an Evangelist, we think repent, salvation, repent, salvation, so on and so forth. But somehow our visions have become blinded by salvation only. The vital key that is evidently missing here and back in the county I grew up in the United States is discipleship (teaching). Salvation requires a change. If there is not a change, how can their be salvation? Salvation is more than saying a sinner's prayer. It is a changed life that becomes a way of life. But, how do people know how to live an abundant life if they are never taught?
Even though my family is split in all sorts of different ways, I remember one thing that we used to do as we were little with my mother and (ex)step-dad (for clarification for those who know my family, I know it is confusing for you). We used to have family time each night and read the Bible. How much time does the Christian family spend together in prayer and the Word? How much time does the Christian family spend teaching their children the principles of the Bible? When the family does not teach, then who does? Does the church? Yes, or so they should and it should be parallel to the teaching of parents to their kids. Should we not also teach our friends? Now days, in the church, the core group does not disciple. I think the church is made of two categories, the family and the extended family. For the church I spent my preteen and teen years in I was part of the extended family. I did not have blood family there but was accepted as such.
Here in the La Laguna, by some accounts, it is an Evangelised city. Some say even in the upwards of 10%. I can only help but gently laugh to myself. If we had 150 Evangelical churches here with 50 members in each that would give 7500 Evangelicals. 10% of the area would have to be 130,000 people more or less so for the sake of less lets say 80,000. The math does not add up. One of my prayers has been let the workers arise. Last night I had the third person come and talk to me about wanting to be a missionary. That is three people! But, then you look at three and oh wow, big deal. Take a look at this Baptist Press writers multiplication article on "The simple way to turn 30 disciples into 100,000" and then Guy Muse's article on their vision and strategy to win 500,000.
When we set out in the world within our own power, we are going to fail. We cannot let our thoughts and lives blind us. I ask a lot of questions of people. I ask of people who may have less knowledge than me (not that I know anything) and of those who have much knowledge. The one thing that scares and saddens me the most is the one thing I do not want to happen to me. Often we get blinded by our own vision and thinking's. I want constantly search my heart. One person may say one thing and another some other thing and guess what this does not make either one right or wrong. So, then I have to think, well why would one say do it this way and the other this way. Why, because for one we are all in different parts of the world with different influences. But, I get to reflect and have to make the choice in prayer, am I right or wrong in my thoughts. I believe there is a Biblical structure to Evangelism and missions, but in that structure, there is not a detailed plan, if there were, at what point would we need to go to prayer and seek guidance from the Lord. I believe the Bible speaks clearly on what we are to do but not always clear in the how part of it as in giving us a step by step daily itinerary. When we deviate from what the Bible says though, we have a problem. When we act in our own will, we have a problem. It is not easy but God never sends a warrior off to war without equipping them with what they need and what we need is Him. If we do not show others by teaching them the Word of God, we set them up for failure and ourselves. The Bible says in Matthew 5, Blessed are those who mourn. I do not think we can come to the point of understanding what Evangelism or missions is until we can come to the point of mourning, but in the same, how can we come to the point of mourning if we do not have a poor spirit?
I am excited that three people are ready to step up and answer the call and let me tell you what makes me even more excited. The prior two are not just merely two people who have stepped up and said, "I want to be a missionary", but their actions prove where their heart is. It is evident that they have a thirst for Christ and to see the people of the world come to know Christ in a personal way and to live daily lives that glorify Christ.
Relationships are a very important part of the road. Their are times you have to eat that of which you do not know and trust that God is in control. In order to have true relationships we have to put past our former lives and live a life in Christ. We cannot relate to someone when we refuse to get on their level. We are not here in a race to see how many people we can get to say "the words". We are here to share the Word of the Lord, which encompasses more than a thought of salvation but living a life that would demonstrate Jesus Christ. Go to Yahoo and type in “define salvation” and notice the alternate choices it gives you.
November 10, 2006
International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church
This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church. Please join the thousands of churches and small prayer groups that have come together to pray for all of the persecuted throughout the world. More information is available at OpenDoorsuUSA.org
MI Esperanza
Please remember us tonight as we are making plans to have some over to watch the MI Esperanza programme tonight. Pray that God will give us wisdom in the things to say and do and open the hearts of all of those who will be watching tonight (and tomorrow also) through Mexico.
- P.S. Sorry for some who have posted comments and they are not showing up. I do not know what the problem is but I have received them.
November 09, 2006
Reaching a lost world
One thing that I have been faced with here lately is transitioning from one job to another, which is from nearly strictly Gospel Saturation to that of church planter. There are things I do know from school, reading, and such, but from my readings across the net, there are definitely gaps within the process. What is different about it is that it is an environment that I and many others have never been in before. There are many more factors here that add different barriers and new situations to arise (such as cultural differences, which are not the same across the country).
I ask people their opinions for one reason, to expand my thinking. What can happen in the field can play a total different outcome than what we may learn from school, reading, or some seminar. So, obviously the first step in evangelism and missions would have to be coming to an understanding that no matter how much experience we have or another may have, we do not know it all. Moreover, sometimes we know the answer but our eyes are clouded by ourselves.
For some time I have been studying Matthew 10, the sending of the disciples; Luke 10, the sending of the 70, and the commissions in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. Guy, a missionary in Ecuador, has an interesting post on the subject of Luke 10. Between Matthew and Luke, we see some very interesting parts that we oft leave out in our missions strategy. Some would argue that they are outdated and only applied before the death of Christ. But, they are still a part of the Word just as is the Old Testament. I look forward to hearing thoughts and comments on what missions means to you.
This should make you sick.
In an e-mail I received this morning, Wal-Mart is donating 5% of their online sales to the Washington DC Community Center for Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender People. Now all have a choice. We can sit around or we can let as many people know about this as we know, including all association churches.
The American Family Association is looking for 1,000,000 to sign their petition and you can do so at https://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/signpetition.asp?id=1630.
Also, the American Family Association is asking that we DO NOT shop at Wal-mart or Sam's club on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving. (This also part of the petition). In reality, I know that these are BIG shopping days for some. These are shopping days for showering others with gifts, but why not give the gift that keeps giving by showing your support for our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt that some of you have already gotten this far and decided to do nothing. I ask you now to stop and pray about what God would have you to do. This may require you to step outside of your normal, everyday comfort zone. I pray to hear when I return to the United States in the end of this month that Alcorn and Tishomingo counties, at the least, have joined together to fight this perversion that is happening in our nation.
So what happened?
So, some of you are noticing things have changed here with my blog. The problem has been with blogger. Sometimes it would post, some times not. All of the old posts are still available. You do not have to have an account to post here but your comment will have to initially be approved.