Friday, March 20, 2020

March Update

Greetings! Thank you for your support. I am truly grateful for your unceasing prayers, for your generous giving to missions. Thank you for holding the ropes for those of us who have gone down into the well as we partner together in our Lord’s Great Commission. May God continue to bless your endeavors to see the Name of Christ proclaimed among the nations. 


Please continue to pray that I will be able to find workers who can work alongside me with the displaced indigenous in Bogota. There is already on man from a Baptist church here in Bogota who has been working with me as I visit the shelters. Recently, a woman from the same local Baptist church has expressed interest in visiting the shelters as well. So, it seems a team is slowly beginning to form. 

I have also been able to reconnect with a Katio man. He may be able to introduce me to other Katio and to Chami. He and his family lives in a shelter with Katio and Chami. It is often difficult to find time to meet with them. I have been able to share the gospel with them on a few occasions. But much work is still needed. Please pray that I can clearly communicate the gospel. There is a language barrier; we both are using Spanish as our second language.  

I have also made a few visits to the Wounaan. One older man I visit regularly has been recovering from surgery. A few weeks ago, he developed a few complications from the surgery and had to spend some time in the hospital. I was able to visit with him in the hospital. He is getting better and is maintaining hope in Christ. He is one of the leaders among the Wounaan community in Bogota and is a strong believer. My desire is to see the Wounaan believers mobilized to reach their own people with the gospel. A few years ago, I was able to visit some Wounaan believers in Panama, and maybe I can help connect the Wounaan there with the Wounaan here to reach the Wounaan in the western part of Colombia. That part of Colombia is still dangerous with the cartels. Please pray for me to develop ways to help the Wounaan see the need to become missionaries, especially to their own people. Pray that the violence through the country to subside and allow for missionaries to move more freely so that the gospel would spread. But even with the current situation, we know that the Word of God is not bound (2 Tim 2:9)! 


Throughout the world right now, everyone is facing the covid-19 pandemic. Colombia is no exception. The first case of the virus was reported two weeks ago. Now there are 145 cases the last I heard, 53 of which are in Bogota where I live. As far as I know, I don’t have the virus; I don’t have any symptoms. But I would hate to unknowingly transmit the virus to the people with whom I am ministering, many of whom are older and/or with a host of medical issues. I am currently on the first day of a four-day, city-wide lockdown. That means for four days, I cannot leave my apartment. Since I can’t leave my apartment, I cannot make any of my regular in-person visits. Please pray that this whole pandemic will subside quickly. I continue to trust God in all of this. My hope is that churches throughout the world will be strengthened and encouraged. God is still in control. The gospel of Jesus will continue to spread to the ends of the earth. All glory be to Christ!


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Luke 24:26-27, 44-47
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

In my last newsletter, I briefly wrote about the centrality of the proclamation of the Word of God for Christian ministry because it is the means God has said He will use both to regenerate a sinner’s heart and to strengthen and mature believers. This month, I want to continue with that theme. It is the gospel message in particular that God uses to save sinners and to strengthen His people. I believe all of Scripture is focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Right after the Fall, God gave a promise of redemption—that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. The theme of all the Bible is God reconciling for Himself a people from every nation through the person and work of His Son, Jesus. This Savior was promised and anticipated in the Old testament, and we see those promises fulfilled in the New in Jesus. As we interpret Scripture, we need to see how the passage we are reading fits into that larger theme. Some passage will fit more directly and obviously, but all somehow fit into the big picture of salvation through Christ. It is the gospel of Christ that is the power of God unto salvation. Moreover, the gospel of Christ is the wind that fills the sails of the believer propelling him forward to persevere in the faith. So, preach the gospel! There’s no hope without it. 

Book Recommendations:

Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament — David Murray


God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible — Vaughn Roberts

Walking with Jesus through His Word: Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures — Dennis E. Johnson


Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics — Graeme Goldsworthy 


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