Water is wet because it is water, and Christians are involved in missions because they are Christians. Missions is not a good work to gain a jewel, but a good fruit of a good Savior. Missions is the sovereign work of grace.

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I have posted a link here to Heartcry because sfjm supports the work, and the biblical truths that are preached through this ministry.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Chiapas Journal Day 4

I woke refreshed this morning, and was surprised as I thought my anxiety about Chamula would keep me from sleep, but was given grace in regard to rest. I was also awakened quickly once again by a cold shower, although today I seemed to enjoy it. After my cleaning I departed to a quiet place to pray and read of our God from the Scriptures. I was somewhat intrigued that God’s ways and my ways are so different as I read Psalm 5:5. I was also encouraged to teach the full council of God, and not solely what I think is fitting for the people of God. I was refreshed by my reunion with the Father, and was ready to see what the Lord had planned for this day! After breakfast spent no little time in conversation with pastor Eufimio. I have so enjoyed his company these last couple of days! He made known to me their need for teachers at their Bible institute at his church. They meet once a month for a weekend. Their church has 30 missions functioning well and the men in the institute are serving in these missions. I will begin to seek the guidance of the Lord on if He desires that I commit one weekend a month to teach these men. We then set out for Chamula! I was so excited to see how the Lord would use us in such a dark place. Our truck broke down, and set us back an hour or so, but we arrived in Chamula at about two o’clock in the afternoon. There seemed to be a spirit of oppression in this place that is somewhat indescribable. It was our goal to enter the town and pray for an open door. We started by buying a tourist pass to enter the church there as I wanted to see and get a feel for the mindset of the people there. As many of you know I live in a very wicked place where worship of death is very popular, but I have never seen anything in comparison to what I saw this day! As we entered the church the floor was covered with pine needles, and no less than 100 people were scattered on the floor surrounded by candles and bottles of coke. We walked and prayed, but were all a little set back by one family. There was an elderly woman surrounded by her family from three years old to not short of seventy. She continually mumbled some sort of a prayer while putting fire to candles. On the side of her group of candles lay a chicken that had no life, and on the other side a chicken that was alive, but seemed to be in some sort of a trance. Every so often she would sprinkle what they call posh, a sort of tequila that is very strong, around the candles all the while chanting. Then she would pick up the chicken with life and make circles over the candles. This was nothing short of demonic. This was so wicked and made my heart so sad. I stood there with a pack full of the gospel of John and this woman and her family were magnifying satan and his ways. It was very sickening. The majority of the people were having a fiesta in the front of the church drinking posh and becoming intoxicated. There were also two crosses in this church that will be explained in a later post. We then left the church, and entered the market where not much shorter than two years before a young man was killed being accused of preaching the gospel. We began going to different shops looking for an opportunity to share the gospel. We ended up in a small shop that sold traditional clothes. It was a mother and her four daughters not much younger than myself. We felt a connection with these women and after a short time began asking about their faith. Before we departed we gave them a few gospels of John, and they seemed somewhat excited not having ever heard the story of Jesus. One of the young women began reading the gospel before we left. There is so much more I could write about this day, but will pass it off to another post. We then returned to San Cristobal and attended the church of Josue, Eufimio’s son. He asked if I would preach, so I gladly accepted. We were few in number, but I felt that we were truly blessed with the presence of the Spirit! I was more than helped in my preaching, and we all felt a conviction to live out the name we are given through grace. I preached from Romans 1:1-6. I was able to speak with Ivonne for a short time before bed, and was so encouraged by her faithfulness in intercession for the team this week. As I lay in bed I felt such great emotions about entering Chamula once again tomorrow.

Chiapas Journal Day 3

After not much rest the night before, I woke exhausted, but was helped by starting the day with a cold shower. After my shower separated myself to spend time with the Father, and was acquainted by the Spirit. Found great comfort and the life of Paul. Oh, how I long to live so unashamed as he did. I know some who would criticize me for desiring to be like Paul, but he wrote “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” The plan for today was to work with Pastor Eufimio here in Simojovil in the surrounding communities. After refreshing our physical bodies with a typical Mexican breakfast we left for a small town called “La Paz” in English “The Peace”. My mom and I were accompanied by Juanita, Eufimio’s daughter, and began going house to house to share the good news. I was quite humbled when we reached the first house and I greeted the elderly woman in Spanish, and her face said that she didn’t know what I said. She only spoke a indigenous dialect called Tzoltl. It sounds nothing like Spanish. The pastors daughter spoke very little Tzoltl so she began to speak to the woman. This woman had no intrest in the divine things, and was far more concerned with things around her house. Such was the case with many of the Indians in this town. After visiting a few houses we approached a small wooden hut to find it filled with young people. As we began to converse about Divine things found one young woman around 16 years of age or so that seemed to be concerned for her soul. She had been raised in a very spiritualistic Catholic church, and was well versed in idolatry. After explaining the nature and result of sin and our helpless state we then conversed with her about the unconditional love of God and the impossibility of doing anything for our own salvation. The Spirit seemed to have given some conviction in regards to the work she had done in attempts to earn grace through the idols of Babylon. We gave her a gospel, and wrote the pastor’s number and address so she would be able to have her questions answered if it truly was a beginning work of the Spirit in regard to her salvation. We left this house to go with pastor Eufimio up the mountain to visit a family that hasn’t come to the fellowship in some time. We were welcomed by the family with great kindness and found the father of the family to have some kind of sickness. This seems to have hindered his work greatly, and there was a lack of income as a result. After not much conversation with the family Eufimio began to question their absence and was meet with many excuses. We then spent the next forty minutes or so in exhorting them from the Scriptures of the importance of fellowshipping with the body of Christ. The daughters of the man were under some conviction. After praying for the family we left to go to the church in Simojovil where I would preach. I preached from Romans 5:6 stating that we, before Christ, have two problems; one: we are ungodly, and two: we are without strength. I felt somewhat helped by the Spirit, and think there were some there who were affected by the words of God. After the meeting we were invited to celebrate the lives of the pastor and his wife as this was their birthdays. It was a good time of fellowship. I went to bed tired and somewhat early with a heavy heart for the people of Chamula. Our plan is to go there tomorrow. It has been so great getting to meet Eufimio. He is a hard working for the great kingdom; I hope the Lord continues to cause our paths to cross.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Chiapas Journal Day 2

We arrived in San Cristobol De Loas Casas about 7:30 this morning and began searching for a bus that would take us to Simojovil where we will be staying for a couple nights. After haggling fervently with taxi drivers Josue, the son of a missionary in Simojovil came a picked us up in his pick-up. Mom, Esther, David, one of the missionaries daughters, and I rode in the back for three hours up and down mountains until we entered Simojovil. We ate, then had time to rest and find solitude with the Father. I felt somewhat comforted by thoughts of Grace in my life, but for the most part my time of both resting and traveling has been consumed with thoughts of sorrow for the poor folks in Chamula. When one of them die they go to hell, and this thought has been made so evident to me through the conviction of the Spirit. As we drove through Chamula and I pondered on thoughts that it is the last place in the western hemisphere where Christians reach glorification at the hands of non-believers. Most think it would pass as an eerie feeling, but all I could think of was the example that has been left by Jim Elliott. As I got alone with the great text I felt little refreshment in the words of God. I felt as it was probably due to being exhausted. I then rested and talked with Ivonne some before going to meet with Eufimio (the missionary in Simojovil). I really enjoy the company of Eufimio, it is my prayer and expectation that the Lord will allow more of His work to be done through us working together. We spoke of ways to reach chamulans, and what the schedule would be like for the week. It was our decision to spend tomorrow working here, and then return to San Christobol on Thursday morning to spend Thursday and Friday in Chamula. Before turning in to sleep found some comfort in Psalms 1 & 2. Left for sleep content in life, while pondering on of Edwards resolutions “I resolve to think on death often and the circumstances there in.” After this passed through my mind I fell asleep wanting the Lord to make my life useful to His kingdom, and wanting to live so badly for His glory. I begged that the Lord would remove my fleshly desires and replenish me with thoughts of Him, for He is my reward. I want my life to give the Lamb the glory due his name!!! After an hour or so of rest was awakened to prayer by the Father, and after a short time of it spent some time reading the life of David Brainerd. I just finished the part where he died, and while he was dying was whispering thoughts like “He will not terry”, or “I will glorify His name”, oh! What faith he had. Found courage to live to God through his example.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Chiapas Journal Day 1

Woke up this morning and felt somewhat refreshed for I slept well. In the preceding nights leading to this trip I was awakened by the Father having placed a burden in my heart to intercede for this trip and for the people that will be accompanying me to the town of Chamula. Felt as though my time of solitude with the Lord this morning was attended with His presence and was also comforted in this way. Mom got off to a late start as she had a long day on the Lord’s Day yesterday, and we set out to meet David (a brother from Ivonne’s church) in the metro. After waiting for an hour he finally arrived and we left to meet another sister from Remanente. After our uniting and much travel in the metro not having yet had anything to replenish the physical state of our bodies we went to eat. Mom and I shared a meal, and mom stloe soup from the sister from Remanente. Felt as though I ate more than is biblical and still am not in need of anything as I write. After eating we returned to my house and I finished preparing my things for the trip as well as the bags of gospels we would take. Everything went smoothly at the bus station, and we started our night of driving.
I though it somewhat cliché this morning as through grace approached the throne of Grace through the Scriptures. In Jeremiah 31 was reminded of the new covenant that God has made, and His faithfulness in saving those that are His. His sovereign work in changing our hearts and causing us to walk in His ways. Then in Mark 16 of the promised resurrection as Christ was. If that is to be our end why would one fear that which has no power to conquer? God is faithful to His promises and He will resurrect His people. And lastly in Acts 21 as Paul set out to Jerusalem and was encouraged not to go by the brothers for the danger he would face, but was so encouraged and found such comfort in his response. Paul knowing he would go to his death was unashamed. It is my prayer that as you read this you do not think I am going to this place to die, for such in not my purpose. I simply as Paul want to be faithful and unashamed of the call whether by life or by death. If I live here or there, I wish to live in such a manner that the Lamb would receive the full reward for His suffering, and if I die that I would die in such a manner that the Lamb would receive the full reward for His sufferings! I simply want to be unashamed to preach the gospel.
Paco seems to be preoccupied with work he has to take care of, I ask that you would pray peace for him. Mom seems to be doing well, not sure she quite knows what she is going to, but she is willing. David is in good spirits, and sees to me to be content. Esther, the sister from Remanente, is such an encouragement, and I am delighted that she is here.
Right before I started writing this I finished a book I had been walking through here lately called “Introduction to Puritan Theology “, if you want to know, yes I highly recommend it!! The last part was on Eschatology by Jonathan Edwards and he writes “It may seem a mystery to the world that men should be happy in death, which the world looks on as the most terrible of all things; but thus it is to the saints. Their happiness is built upon a rock, and it will stand the shock of death: when the storm and floods of death come with their greatest violence, it stands firm, and neither death nor hell can overthrow it…”
Thank you all for being the body of Christ! Hold the rope extra tight this week!!!!

Por La Gracia,
jonathan