Conclusion from Peru and Mexico

email from Randall Easter | 25 January 2008 | Randall Easter

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

January 25, 2008

ESV Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

In recent days I have spent time in Lima and Sullana Peru and Mexico City and I have discovered that people by nature are the same. Man has a heart that is inclined to selfishness and idolatry. Sin abounds in the remotest parts of the land because the heart is desperately wicked. Thousands bow before statues of Mary and pray to her hoping for answers. I have seen these people stare hopelessly at Mary icons, Jesus icons, and a host of dead saints who will do nothing for them. I have talked with people who pray to the pope and say that they love him. I talked with one lady who said that she knew that Jesus was the Savior, but she loved the pope. Thousands bow before Santa Muerte (holy death angel) in hopes that she will do whatever they ask her. I have seen people bring money, burning cigarettes, beer, whiskey, chocolate, plants, and flowers to Santa Muerte in hopes of her answers. I have seen these people bowing on their knees on the concrete in the middle of public places to worship their idol. Millions of people come into the Basilica in Mexico City and pay their money, confess their sins, and stare hopelessly at relics in hope that their sins will be pardoned. In America countless thousands are chained to baseball games, football games, material possessions, and whatever else their heart of idols can produce to worship.

My heart has broken in these last weeks because the God of heaven is not honored as he ought to be honored. People worship the things that are created rather than worshiping the Creator. God has been gracious to all mankind and yet mankind has hardened their hearts against a loving God. God brings the rain on the just and unjust. God brings the beautiful sunrises and sunsets upon the just and unjust. God gives good gifts unto all and above all things he has given his Son that those who would believe in him would be saved. However, man has taken the good things of God and perverted them unto idols and turned their attention away from God. I get a feel for Jesus as he overlooked Jerusalem or Paul as he beseeched for God to save Israel. When you accept the reality of the truth of the glory of God is breaks your heart that people would turn away from the great and awesome God of heaven to serve lesser things. Moses was outraged by the golden calf, the prophets passionately preached against idolatry, Jesus was angered that the temple was changed in an idolatrous business, and Paul preached to the idolaters of Mars Hill by telling them of the unknown God.

I arrived back at home wondering how I should respond to all the idolatry that I have beheld in these last three weeks. I wondered how our church here in the states should respond to all of the idolatry in the world. What are the options? First, I suppose we could sit around and hope that people chose to get their life together and stop being idolaters. However, I do not know how that could ever happen apart from them hearing the truth. Second, I suppose we could spend a lifetime studying cultural issues and customs in hope that we could somehow learn to relate to the people of other countries. However, the bible is quite clear that all men are the same. Men are dead in sin, shaped in iniquity, and by nature are the enemies of God. Thirdly, we could pay other people or other agencies to go and do a work for us while we remain comfortably in the states. However, there is no way to insure that there will be doctrinal accuracy or integrity. If we only pay other people to take the gospel we will miss out on all of the benefits of being obedient to the mission of God. Lastly, we could seek where God would have us to do a lasting work and then invest our lives there for the glory of God. The gospel has the power to raise the dead in any culture and we must be willing to take the gospel wherever God would have us take it. It is for sure that our church cannot go to every country and reach every people group, so we must determine where God would have us work and seek to be obedient wherever that is.

It seems that some doors are opening in the Spanish speaking countries below us and perhaps God is beginning to reveal where we are to work. There are some options for work to be partnered with in Peru and there could be a couple of options in Mexico. The need is greater than I can express upon this paper for a biblical gospel to be proclaimed in Peru and Mexico. Oh, that God would glorify his great name in Peru and Mexico by using a small little church in a town that does not exist to proclaim his great gospel amongst a people who desperately need the truth.

I give thanks to the LORD for allowing me the privilege of going to these countries and broadening my horizons. The things that I have seen will be forever engraved upon my heart. I will long remember the pastors that I spent time with in Peru and I will never forget Adolfo who translated for me in Mexico. I will relish the time that I spent with Paul Washer and the others. When I think of church I will forever remember being on top of that mountain in Sullana at that church which had no electricity and no roof. I am convinced that heaven was looking down on that little church on top of that mountain and very few people on earth even know that it exist. Oh, God I pray that the things of this world will continue to grow dim and that God’s people will be caught up in his glorious presence.

Because of the truth: Pastor: J. Randall Easter II Timothy 2:19 "Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases."(Ps. 115:3) "He predestined us according to the good pleasure of His will."(Eph. 1:5) Those who have been saved have been saved for His glory and they are being made holy for this is the will of God. Are you being made holy? Spurgeon says, "If your religion does not make you holy it will damn you to hell."

[r9etb]

I have discovered that people by nature are the same. Man has a heart that is inclined to selfishness and idolatry.

Indeed, Mr. Easter. Are we to infer that you had no trouble seeing past the log in your own eye?

[Running On Empty]

Opus, you have done a most wonderful thing in these posts.

We Catholics are indebted to you—not only for posting these facts, but also demonstrating that these martyrs walked the talk. Again, thank you!

It’s one thing to make drive-by trips to these countries that are targeted and to come back comfortably to the US and write drive-by e-mails and call that evangelization. It’s another thing for these Catholic missionaries and parish priests to go to these countries and live among the people and accept, as their own lifestyle, the poverty and difficult circumstances of the people they serve—and do this as a life’s work.

Congratulations, sandyeggo, on your brother’s vocation.

[Quix]

Am humbled by your words.

A part of me would still prefer to run and “hide amongst the stuffs.”

LOL.

I’m certainly NOT a “one size fits all” sort of person. Sigh.

To God be all effort and Glory. All else is chaff.

[Quix]

Praise God for the sacrifices of all who truly SEEK HIM AND PUT HIM FIRST, FOREMOST, ALWAYS.

[Running On Empty]

Ping

[Quix]

Now, what such a list has to do with the move of Holy Spirit in Latin America is rather beyond me . . .

unless it’s a kind of thread hijacking.

[Quix]

Sister Margarita Vásquez Sandino, a Colombian nun, was killed on November 11 in Medellin as she was traveling to visit a sick relative. The motive was believed to be robbery.

= = =

This relates to the topic of the thread precisely how?

[Quix]

running into cartoon characters.

= = =

I realize that it’s much easier for all of us to cast issues between RC’s and Protty’s in stark, sterile, unidimensional black/white terms.

Doesn’t match reality much but it does make for more glib word tossings.

I suspect the folks the author encountered would rather bristle at being called cartoon characters.

[Quix]

To me . . .

for someone to

ASSUME, PRETEND, ASCRIBE, DESCRIBE, LABEL

my attitude as despising them

WHEN I DEFINITELY DO NOT

is a kind of ignorance . . . or worse.

Perhaps it is also a kind of projection but only God knows on that score.

[Quix]

Plenty true.

Though Love has many flavors and clothes.

[Clemenza]

Being that I don’t have a dog in this fight, I nevertheless have more respect for those who proselytize in China and the middle east than to get the easy pickings among the Indians in Peru. Remember that the Indians (throughout the Americas) are notorious for mixing religions and/or changing their denomination depending on the latest missionary to show up.

[conservonator]

I suspect the folks the author encountered would rather bristle at being called cartoon characters.

Actually, I think they would be a bit more offended at being called idolaters by a ignorant telepathist.

[OpusatFR]

“To me . . .

for someone to

ASSUME, PRETEND, ASCRIBE, DESCRIBE, LABEL

my attitude as despising them

WHEN I DEFINITELY DO NOT

is a kind of ignorance . . . or worse.

Perhaps it is also a kind of projection but only God knows on that score.”

_______________________________________

You talk about projection?

I didn’t name you, did I.

[Quix]

Interesting . . .

This was certainly likely to be a contentious topic.

So, I came aboard determined to redouble my efforts to be winsome, light hearted, overtly charitable and the like in as much as God enabled and it lies within me to be so with a clear conscience.

I’m still eager and determined to do so.

However, I observe RC reps posting in a manner which is coming across as:

—fiercely angry,

—with a very large chip on shoulders,

—LTTM—lofty to the max as though from the only one true truely truestly truely true position of pontificating truth

—throwing out all manner of seemingly wounded, affronted, harsh diatribe sorts of stuff . . . most of it having absolutely NOTHING to do with the topic of this thread.

While perhaps in a stretch and keeping in mind the humanness of us all . . . this is somewhat understandable. But not overly lauditory.

I could go on and on but I’ll return, instead, to my goals for myself hereon.

[Running On Empty]

I looked back over the posts and referenced posts and didn’t see any posts that mentioned anything about YOUR attitude specifically or in particular..

I didn’t see any
ASSUMING
PRETENDING
ASCRIBING
DESCRIBING
or LABELING anything that anything to do with you personally.

So be at peace.

[Quix]

An interesting question.

I suspect that a good percentage of them would easily own outright the idlolatry. I think such groups are more prone to being candid about such things than say a similar collection of folks in New York City or Seattle.

[Quix]

Quite so. Quite admirable.

I also don’t recall my claiming to be a totally brainless idiot.

[Quix]

Haven’t left a state of peace since my morning prayers.

But thanks for the kind exhortation. I’ll keep it in mind today.

[Running On Empty]

I’m glad to hear that, because this thread didn’t start out referring to you and probably won’t end that way, either.

[Quix]

Uhhhhh . . .

How much did the RC edifice responses start out RESPONDING to the topic of the thread in a directly related way?

We have an opportunity on a new thread to act more like grown-ups. I hope that’s workably possible.