Wednesday, December 16, 2020

December Update — May those who walk in darkness see a great light! (Isaiah 9:2)

Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is going well. Thank you for praying for me and for the work in Colombia. Let’s keep on trusting our Lord who is in control of all things.

Over the past several weeks, I have been trying to followup with the Katío and Chamí who were living in a park downtown. The government has provided shelters for them, so they are no longer in the park. I have been able to make a few visits to where they now live. One place is not too far from Betania Baptist Church; the other is located on the southern end of the city near where the Wounaan live. Some of them have expressed interest in studying Scripture. Please pray that groups would be started. 

I have also been able to have several good visits with the Wounaan. Some of those visits have been to help “Silas” with his medical appointments. But other visits have been to study the Word together. Two men from Betania Baptist church have begun to accompany me during these visits.  My hope is that several more from Betania will become involved with the indigenous work. Please continue to pray for Betania Baptist Church as she searches for a new pastor and continues to grieve the death of Pastor Fabio.  It’s been a long and difficult year.

Please continue to pray for “Ted and Amy.” Amy’s health is failing and doesn’t have long to live. She has been moved to a hospital, so I have not been able to visit with her. I have visited Ted a few times. Pray for me as I minster to them the hope of the gospel.

Please continue to pray for Leo and Martha in Vaupés. Some new opportunities to ministry have opened up. Please pray that the work there would be fruitful. I may be able to make a visit in the new year to see how things are going there.  

I do plan to make a brief trip to the States to visit family in the States for Christmas. Hopefully, my trip will not be extended by more lockdowns. 

May each of you have a very merry Christmas as we celebrate the glory of the incarnation of our Lord and the reason He came:  to save His people from their sins. 


Luke 2:8-14
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, 

keeping watch over their flock by night. 


And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, 

and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 

and they were filled with great fear. 


And the angel said to them, 

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people. 


For unto you is born this day in the city of David 

a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

And this will be a sign for you: 

you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 

and lying in a manger.”  


Then suddenly there was with the angel 

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace 

among those with whom he is pleased!”



When the angel appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the the Lord shown around them, they we terrified. But the angel told them not to be afraid. Why? Because of the good tidings of great joy that the long-awaited Messiah had been born. The skull-crushing seed of the woman promised to Adam and Eve after the fall (Gen 3:15) had finally come to save His people from their sins, to defeat sin, death, and Satan, and to make all things new. That truly is good news of great joy. We no longer have to fear judgment because through faith in Jesus we have peace with God (Rom 5:1). We who were once enemies of God have been reconciled (Rom 5:10). And having been reconciled, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation imploring the nations to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:11-21).  



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