Returning to ‘The City’ La Ciudad, Mexico

Some of you may remember, last year around this time my church took a mission trip to La Ciudad, Mexico. My journal of that trip isavailable free to anyone here. This year we will be returning to La Ciudad, June 28 thru July 5.

Our plans with the children include singing, Bible stories, making crafts, treats, and fellowshipping with them in soccer, making animal balloons, and other games. We would also like to share a movie, devotional, and fellowship with the adults in the evenings.

08:00 – 10:00am Breakfast, devotional, prayer walking

10:30 – 2:30pm Children ministry

Greetings
Music
Puppets
Bible Study
Crafts
Refreshments, recreation, fellowship

3:00 – 4:30pm Lunch, rest, personal time

5:00 – 11:00pm Adult ministry

Monday
5:30 – Show movie at House 1
7:30 – Show movie at House 2
9:30 – Show movie at House 3

Tuesday
5:30 – Bible story 1 at House 1
6:30 – Bible story 1 at House 2
7:30 – Bible story 1 at House 3
9:30 – Show movie at House 4

Wednesday
5:30 – Bible story 2 at House 1
6:30 – Bible story 2 at House 2
7:30 – Bible story 2 at House 3
5:30 – Bible story 1 at House 4
9:30 – Show movie at House 5

Thursday
5:30 – Bible story 3 at House 1
6:30 – Bible story 3 at House 2
7:30 – Bible story 3 at House 3
5:30 – Bible story 2 at House 4
9:30 – Bible story 1 at House 5

We had a great time last year, and we pray that this year will be even better. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will direct us and moves the hearts of the people to put faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Once we return this year, I hope to make available again a journal of our visit.

Submission to a Dictator

At a group I often visit, while we were discussing the qualifications of a deacon – namely ‘ruling one’s own house well’ - I keep seeing the word 'dictator' stating the husband should not be one. So, here is my question:

I believe most Christian Bible readers will agree that Christ and the church are the examples set for us concerning the husband and wife. I would also assume that we agree that Christ rules over the church, as the church is to be in full submission to Christ. [Ephesians 5:22-33]

I looked up the word 'dictator' - 'a person exercising absolute power, esp. a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.'

According to this definition, is Christ a 'dictator?' If so, and if the man is to be as Christ in the marriage relationship, what does that make him biblically? Is it not possible to be a 'dictator' (exercising absolute power) while also showing 'love, care, and thought for those following?' This does not mean one cannot listen to his wife's thoughts, but biblically (as Christ is to the church) the husband has the responsibility before God as to making the final decision in all matters. Even if he decides to let the wife make all decisions, he is responsible to God for such. For, would not Christ be yet responsible to God if He were to let the church do as it chooses?

Is it just that the word 'dictator' leaves a bad taste in our mouth, or do we just dislike the idea of one having 'absolute rule over us' kind of like when we rebel against the things of God in our own personal lives?

As one has said, Christ rules perfectly and the church still rebels against Him. It is not always the one ruling who is at fault, often it is us who wish to rebel against the rules.

In asking this question, it was said, ‘you cannot press the analogy completely in the relationships of Christ to the church and the husband to the wife.’ So, I ask, how ‘incompletely’ do we press it?

It has also been said, a husband ‘EARNS her submission by his leadership.' To me, this is like asking, 'Which comes first, the wife submitting or the husband loving?' I mean 1 Peter 3:1-6 speaks of 'ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives,' so it is possible for a wife to be married to one she may not really 'respect' as a leader of the home, but she is still called upon to submit to him. I believe the same is true to loving a wife that 'obeys not the word.'

Question: If a man must EARN his wife's submission, how does the wife EARN his love? Isn't this where we find ourselves in today's society. The husband will not love because his wife will not submit the way he believes she should, and the wife will not submit because her husband doesn't love her the way she believes he should? I do not find 'EARN' in the verses, I only find 'DO IT.'

Wives are commanded to ‘submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.’
Husbands are commanded to ‘love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.’

Quite possibility we spend too much time thinking ‘she isn’t worth loving’ and ‘he isn’t worth submitting to’ all the while failing to see that it is us rebelling against the very Word of God. For the wife is not commanded to submit if her husband loves her correctly, nor is the husband commanded to love his wife if she submits to him correctly, we are simply told to obey God which has told us to submit and love. No, we husbands and wives are not perfect, but does that really give us justification in disobeying God?

Rapture - Spam Mail!

Posted at a group I often visit, we come across an interesting website entitled: You’ve Been Left Behind

I will not question the sincerity of these persons’ Christianity, but I do have to question such an idea.

For $40 for the first year, claiming “Re-subscription will be reduced as the number of subscribers increases,” it is suggested that 6 days after the rapture of the church one will be able to send “150mb of encrypted storage that can be sent to 12 possible email addresses” and “another 100mb of unencrypted storage that can be sent to up to 50 email addresses.”

Honestly, this sounds like one is simply paying for document storage on a server.

So, one may ask, “How exactly will the system know the rapture has occurred?”

The site states: “We have set up a system to send documents by the email, to the addresses you provide, 6 days after the "Rapture" of the Church. This occurs when 3 of our 5 team members scattered around the U.S fail to log in over a 3 day period. Another 3 days are given to fail safe any false triggering of the system.”

Isn’t there a possibility that one of the 5 may be unsaved, and/or that within the 3 ‘fail safe’ days one could keep the system running to keep the revenue coming in?

Witness to your family and friends today, even in email if you desire, don’t put it in the hands of an email storage system that will be sending it out much later than necessary.

Human Statue of Liberty

Photo by Arthur S. Mole & John D. Thomas (1918) / Source of scanned image unknown

Check out these other images also, click here.

Corrupting the Word of God

In Genesis 3, we have the fall of mankind. This chapter is full of insightful information as to how man fell, but also as to the temptations we face today are merely the same as those which Adam and Eve faced in the Garden of Eden: Such as, “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”

But, for the moment, let us consider the misuse of the Word of God by mankind which led to the fall, for such has continued throughout the ages with men Corrupting the Word of God even unto this day. Really one should take the time to read and mediate on this chapter, for here I will merely try to quickly note the pitfalls we can all find ourselves in when we corrupt the Word of God whether intentionally or not.

Note 1: Not all corrupt communication will come in the form of ‘God is a liar.’

God said: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
Serpent said: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

We see that ‘false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves’ attempt to use the Word of God, but not in its intended purpose and original thought. Notice the serpent puts a negative slant on the Word of God. God said they may freely eat of every tree of the garden, only telling them to refrain from ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,’ whereas the serpent states that God has said they may not eat of every tree of the garden. Instead of presenting the fact that mankind was being given many things having only one tree withheld, the serpent’s words take away from what all has been given to man and focuses on what has been withheld.


Note 2: It isn’t necessary to take away from the Word of God to improve it.

God said: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
Serpent said: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Eve said: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Here we see liberalism creeping into mankind, desiring to water down the Word of God, as Eve removes the word ‘freely’ from the very mouth of God concerning the trees of the garden. Sure this note could be debatable, but the word ‘freely’ declares it was given unto them to partake without requiring something in return. As seen in salvation, it is freely given by grace through faith, without the deeds of the law.

Notice Eve also waters down God’s word of ‘in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ with ‘lest ye die’ leaving the idea of the possibility that one would not actually die; therefore, making God a liar, and making it easier to sin with a seemingly lesser punishment.

Note 3: It isn’t necessary to add to the Word of God to protect it.

God said: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
Serpent said: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Eve said: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Here we see legalism creeping into mankind, desiring to go beyond the Word of God, as Eve now claims that God said they could not even touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; though He never said such. Now we see the serpent saying that God has not given mankind every tree, Eve is now saying that they cannot even touch this one tree, and the tree simply becomes more enticing as they corrupt the Word of God.


Note 4: As we corrupt the Word of God, we move closer to sin.

God said: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Eve said: lest ye die.
Serpent said: Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

When confronted with corrupt communication mankind started by quoting the very Words of God, though they found room to change, add, and take away from the pure words they were given. In turn, they turned away from the truth, embraced the lies, and lusted after that which was sin. It is no different today with each one of us.

David declared, as we all should: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Corrupting the Word of God will surely lead to our own corruption.