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."

[kosta50]

All from a magic wand.. now thats magicterial..If you get my drift...

And oyu porbably believe in Santa too.

[hosepipe]

[ And you porbably believe in Santa too. ]

heck..... I've BEEN Santa...

[kosta50]

Sometimes no matter how much proof there is right in front of people they just won't see it. The OJ Simpson jury is a perfect example of how people can ignore the truth because of underlying agendas

You are only reinforcing my point. What you say can be applied to those who claim divine ESP.

All the evidence has been laid out from fulfillment of prophesy, witness statements, changed lives of Apostles and believers. I believe you are saying these things don't constitute proof because you enjoy debating.

No, because these "prophesies" are made up of words borrowed from different, and often unrelated parts often written by different people and at different times, and presented as if they were one solid prophesy. Most of them are written after the fact.

You are presenting your own personal belief as a matter of fact. What proof do you have for that?

[P8riot]

From the Heidelberg Catechism:

1. Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I am not my own,[1] but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death,[2] to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.[3] He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil.[5] He also preserves me in such a way[6] that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head;[7] indeed, all things must work together for my salvation.[8] Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life[9] and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.[10]

[1] I Cor. 6:19, 20 [2] Rom. 14:7-9. [3] I Cor. 3:23; Tit. 2:14. [4] I Pet. 1:18, 19; I John 1:7; 2:2. [5] John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14, 15; I John 3:8. [6] John 6:39, 40; 10:27-30; II Thess. 3:3; I Pet. 1:5. [7] Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18. [8] Rom. 8:28. [9] Rom. 8:15, 16; II Cor. 1:21, 22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13, 14. [10] Rom. 8:14.

 

2. Q. What do you need to know in order to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

A. First, how great my sins and misery are;[1] second, how I am delivered from all my sins and misery;[2] third, how I am to be thankful to God for such deliverance.[3]

[1] Rom. 3:9, 10; I John 1:10. [2] John 17:3; Acts 4:12; 10:43. [3] Matt. 5:16; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:8-10; I Pet. 2:9, 10.

[kosta50]

heck..... I've BEEN Santa...

You mean you pretended to be Santa?

[MarkBsnr]

***Knowing of something is not knowing it. You may have heard of something, and you know that it exists, but you have no clue what it is.***

An ant may “speak” to a human in its fashion of communication.

[blue-duncan]

Simeon’s prophecy in Luke 2:32, “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” which is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isa. 49:6

The phrase “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” indicates that the Gentiles are included in the offer of salcation, especially when the next verse cites “kings” and “princes” worshipping him.

Isa. 49:6, “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.”

[hosepipe]

[ You mean you pretended to be Santa? ]

Nope I was him.. In Alaska we have a town called North Pole..
Elves and everything.. even raindeer...

Course only female raindeer(caribou) have antlers in winter..
Rudolf... has issues..

[Quix]

Betty-boop, doubting someooene who pretends to be the mouthpiece of God is not judgment.

= = =

I say again . . .

in our era . . .

CHILDREN will say

essentially . . . some variation of:

THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY: . . . .

AND whole armies will disappear into the earth &/or some other variation of being very dramatically terminally disposed of.

[kosta50]

Yet when Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed he didn't actually kill him, but his faith was credited to him as righteousness

And did God have any doubts how Abraham would respond? Or did God just want to torture him a little? God has no reason to test anyone. Did God not know that Abraham had the faith, but instead had to demonstrate it to God by killing his own son? So, was God finally "convinced" that Abraham had the faith to be saved when Abraham was about to kill his son? I have seen the example you mentione used before and It's not the Christian God we know.

[Quix]

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

I ain’t what I wanna be by too big a margin.

Thankfully, by His Grace,

I’z a whole lot bettuh than I wuz.

[MarkBsnr]

People are changed by a whole bunch of things, including life experienced over time.

I was changed by travelling to various countries in the performance of my job duties, and getting to meet various people and experiencing their cultures.

I was changed by an emotionally violent divorce.

Neither of these are proof of (or against) God.

[Quix]

Then there’s that troublesome contingency when one is compelled to forcefully speak out on an issue when one knows it will be perceived as a personal defense. I hate those.

[Quix]

I have observed no convincing evidence of that.

[kosta50]

An ant may “speak” to a human in its fashion of communication

An ant reacts as is proper and within his capacity to what is in front of him, whether it be a human, a dog, puddle of water, or a shoe. We react to our realities within our finite capacity.

[kosta50]

Nope I was him.. [Santa]

Thank you. And now you are Napoleon?

[hosepipe]

[ Thank you. And now you are Napoleon? ]

And you are a smart ass.. touche'.. eye poke / Curly(Howard) salute..

[Alamo-Girl]

LOLOL! Such is life.

Thank you so much for all of your encouragements, dear brother in Christ!

[Mad Dawg]

Man leads and God follows. Further, your Church claims that your clergy and your clergy alone can request that God do certain things and God will ALWAYS do those things EVEN IF the priest is unworthy (supernatural powers).

It's interesting that this comes up as some are questioning A-G's claim (if such it be) to be speaking in or for the Spirit.

I'm sure A-G would not be claiming "supernatural powers" for herself but would rather say something like the gift was God's to give and for reasons best known to HImself He'd given it to her, at least for now.

I've heard plenty of guys, including Jimmy Swaggart, talk about "my ministry". It's dangerous run of phrase because it can lead us to think that our call is something of ours, belinging to US, not something we owe God. I suppose some of our clergy think '"->I<- have supernatural powers!" But when I thought I was a priest I thought of myself what I now think of the RC (and orthodox) clergy, that what they have is God's promise, and nothing of their own.

Again the notion of "Apostolicity", of agency and delegation and deputization, all those concepts hover around the question of the charisms of the clergy.

Sure, it amounts to ALMOST the same thing "on the ground", but I think the difference is important. The minister who thinks of the ministry as "his" is in trouble. You remember when Swaggart's church yanked his "commission", and he said he wasn't going to quite because "his ministry" was too important? I trembled for him then.

If you read our Mass or Baptismal prayers, the language is not, "Hold my beer and watch this!" but a language of pleading, of NOT acting like we take God's promises (as we think of them) for granted.

According to your Church, every single time a person does not choose God, he thwarts God's will. You can't have it both ways. Either man is free to thwart God's will or he isn't.If I think of God as in time, I think of Him saying,"Well it certainly is a good thing that an evening is as a thousand years because I've got to come up with a new way to snag Dawg."

But I don't much think of Him as in time.

I freely confess that this is borderline senseless babbling. But I'm trying to deny the kind of "either/or" that you are presenting.

What do you all make of Jacob wrassling the angel?

[Mad Dawg]

A

HUGE

10-4 on the "Readable"!