Wow!  I just read this chapter from A.W. Pink’s “The Attributes of God” as I am preparing for our Saturday Night Leader’s Small Group, and I just had to copy this excerpt from the chapter on God’s Supremacy.  How amazing that this was written so long ago and still rings so true today.  May the Lord God open up our eyes to see Him as He is rather than what man has made Him to be.

IN ONE OF HIS LETTERS TO ERASMUS, LUTHER SAID, “YOUR thoughts of God are too human.” Probably that renowned scholar resented such a rebuke, the more so, since it proceeded from a miner’s son; nevertheless, it was thoroughly deserved. We too, though having no standing among the religious leaders of this degenerate age, prefer the same charge against the majority of the preachers of our day, and against those who, instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily accept the teaching of others. The most dishonoring and degrading conceptions of the rule and reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere. To countless thousands, even among those professing to be Christians, the God of the Scriptures is quite unknown.

Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself” (Psa 50:21). Such must now be His indictment against an apostate Christendom. Men imagine that the Most High is moved by sentiment, rather that actuated by principle. They suppose that His omnipotence is such an idle fiction that Satan is thwarting His designs on every side. They think that if He has formed any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power He possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citadel of man’s “free will” and reduce him to a “machine.” They lower the all-efficacious atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for whom it was made, to a mere “remedy,” which sin-sick souls may use if they feel disposed to; and they enervate the invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an “offer” of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject as they please.

The “god” of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. The “god” who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible Conferences is the figment of human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality. The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form “gods” out of wood and stone, while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a “god” out of their own carnal mind. In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God, and no God at all. A “god” whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits naught but contempt.

Truthfully, it has been a great few weeks as we have seen God at work in the lives of those around us. It has been a time of seeing some of our close Nicaraguan friends put their trust in Jesus for the first time ever. It has been a time of seeing the leadership of our church super excited about this leader’s small group that we have started at our house. It has been a time of seeing God at work in the community where my friend lives where he and I now lead a Bible Study and discipleship program for young kids. It has been a time of seeing the first spiritual fruits coming from our ministry in El Anexo where recently one of the young guys surrendered his heart to the Lord. He came to church with us last week and said that he wants to come back again this week. He also said that he wants to start getting together each week so that I can help him learn more about the Bible and disciple him in the ways of God.

So, we rejoice in all that God is doing. He is faithful to His Word and we are seeing firsthand the proof that when we boldly and lovingly proclaim His truth, hearts are opened and lives are changed for His glory. So, we are incredibly thankful for what God is doing and that we have been privileged to be a part of His great kingdom work. May we continue to follow Him with all our hearts and press on in both the good times and the bad times.

We had our second Leaders Small Group at our house on Saturday night. The first meeting we had 8 couples (16 people total). The second meeting we had 20 people! It was great! The feedback that we get from so many of them is that this group is a tremendous blessing to them and that they are learning and growing in their walk with Christ. Last week, I taught about the purpose of the law…how God uses it to open our eyes to see our need for Him. I shared that the law is not the Gospel, does not contradict the Gospel, but rather leads us to the Gospel. And now, this week, since I am preaching on Sunday, I asked Maria to lead the teaching and she will be sharing about the depravity of man and why we desperately need a Savior.  This will lead us into the next several weeks of sharing exactly what the Gospel is.   Please continue to pray that the leaders of the church are strengthened and encouraged.

Also, this past Tuesday at the kids Bible study that Guillermo and I lead in his neighborhood, we had a Mother’s Day party. All the kids of the group invited their Moms to come and share a special time together. It was fantastic! It was a great way to start reaching out to the parents of these kids we are teaching each week. Just about all the Moms came. We had a time of worship together, then I shared an evangelistic message from the story of Mary and Martha about choosing the better thing that won’t ever be taken away. Then the kids presented gifts to their Mothers. And then we all shared a meal together. It was awesome! After sharing the message with them and encouraging them to pursue God above all else in life, I invited any Mother who would be interested in learning more about the Bible and how to walk with God to talk to Maria who would be willing to start meeting with them each week in a group to teach them the ways of God. It was great that two of the Mothers there talked to Maria afterwards and told her of their desire to do this. So, please pray that these women will follow through with this and that Maria can start meeting with them each week. How great it would be that Guillermo and I are teaching the kids each week and now Maria can be teaching the Moms at the same time!

So, here are some pictures of our Saturday night Leaders Small Group and pictures of the Mother’s Day Outreach. Also, please pray for me as I will be preaching this Sunday at church. It will be a Mother’s Day message and I will be sharing from the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel Chapters one and two. Please pray that God uses Sunday to strengthen and encourage His people and that hearts would be open to receive the Gospel. Read more »

Here are my teaching notes that I will share at our Leader’s Small Group that we recently started at our house. I feel that this is a message that all of us need to be reminded of…or perhaps some need to understand for the first time. I hope that even just the notes speak truth to your heart.

Please pray for our meeting on Saturday that the leaders of our church will really understand the Gospel more, both for their own souls and for the sake of knowing how to share with others.

Where does the Gospel begin?

We often launch out with God’s love, He has a wonderful plan for your life, He wants you to be with Him forever in eternity, etc. You just have to accept Him into your heart.

But the truth is that we are not starting from the right place.

The Gospel does not start with John 3:16. Then where does it start?

Illustration – Cruise ship

The fact is that John 3:16 is indeed great news! But we can only understand the good news of the Gospel when we first understand the bad news.

We will not see the need, nor the value of putting on the life jacket unless we first realize that our boat is sinking and that we are going to drown. In the same way, the good news of the Gospel is not really seen as good until we realize that it is the only way in which we can be saved from our sins and brought near to God, that without it we are still under His wrath, we are His enemy because we are sinners and have rebelled against His holy ways, and that this will lead us to hell…eternal separation from Him. We have to see that our boat is sinking and that we are lost and without hope before we can truly appreciate the salvation that Jesus offers us.

The question then is: How do we know that our boat is sinking? And how do we convince others that their boat is sinking?

Good evangelistic question: If you were to die tonight and stand before God and He were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?

Think about it. What would you say? (I’m a good person…I try to help people…I do good deeds often…I go to church…etc)

But the question we must ask is: Good according to who? Whose standard are we comparing ourselves to? Our neighbor who gets drunk everyday? The husband who cheats on his wife? This does not matter because we will not be judged by their standards. We are only judged by one standard…What standard are we judged by?

THE LAW OF GOD

Do we still think then that we are fairly good people? Let’s look at just a few of the 10 commandments…the standard in which God gave the people to follow so that they may be able to draw near to Him.

Thou shall not lie: Have you ever lied? What does that make you? A liar
Thou shall not steal: Have you ever taken anything that does not belong to you? Makes you a thief
Thou shall not commit adultery: Have you ever looked upon another with lust? (according to Mat. 5 Jesus said it is the same in God’s eyes as committing adultery) Makes you an adulterer.

So, by our own admission, we are liars, thieves, and adulterers…and we have only covered 3 of the 10 commandments.

So, in God’s eyes and according to His standard, do we still think that we are good people? Good enough to stand forever in the presence of a holy God?

And what does the Bible say about those who try to live by the law…those who think that their good deeds will be enough to get them into Heaven?

James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles at just one point, is guilty of breaking all of it.”

Lev. 19:37 “And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules and do them: I am the LORD.

Deut. 27:26 “Cursed is everyone who does not do all that is in the law…”

Have we kept the whole law? No
If we have even kept part of the law, we are still guilty of breaking all the law.

WE ARE GUILTY.

Our boat is sinking. Before we can understand and appreciate the solution, we have to realize that there is a problem.

That is why we don’t start with John 3:16…that’s the solution. We need to start with the problem, We have broken God’s holy laws. We are not good enough to do anything to make us acceptable to God. We rightly deserve to be condemned. Our boat is sinking and we are going to drown.

What was the purpose of the law in the OT? It was not to save us.

Rom. 3:20 – law won’t justify us, law shows us our sin
Gal. 3:10-11 – law puts us under a curse
Gal. 3:23 – law held us captive until faith came.
Gal. 3:24 – law was our guardian (greek – pedagogue…one who supervises and disciplines a child) until Christ came…so that we could be justified by faith.

So, we see that the purpose of the law was to imprison us…to show us that we were in desperate need of a redeemer, and to discipline and supervise us so that we would be restrained until the redeemer came…and the whole of Scripture then leads us to Christ Jesus who is the only One who can redeem us from the curse of the law.

The law is not the Gospel
The law does not contradict the Gospel
The law leads us to the Gospel.

Gal. 3:25 – “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian”

Once we realize this, then and only then does the good news become good news. Christ is our only life jacket…our only solution to our greatest problem.

If we were on a boat that was sinking fast, and someone handed us a life jacket and hurriedly told us to put it on, we would put it on immediately realizing that this life jacket is the only thing that is going to save our lives.

And so too, when people realize that they are truly lost and hopeless to save themselves from their sin…when they realize that their own good deeds amount to nothing more than a used menstrual cloth in the eyes of God (the literal translation of Is. 64:6 “righteousness like filthy rags…”)…when we realize that our sinful condition makes us enemies of God and that we will be forever banished from His presence…then when we bring in the most amazing good news of what Christ has done for us so that we can be saved, forgiven, accepted, loved…that it is because of His righteousness that saves us…that, in Him, we will not be judged according to our own filthy righteousness, but we will be forever accepted because of what Christ has done…that is when the good news will truly be eagerly received like a life jacket given to the person who realizes that they are about to drown.

Christ indeed is our only redeemer. And we desperately needed redemption. Jehova Jireh truly is God our Provider.

Hey all,

Bendiciones a todos en el bendito nombre de Jesús!  I am so very excited to share with you this update and all that God has been doing in our midst as of recent.

As I wrote last time, we were really facing some struggle and adversity in so many ways such as: major culture shock issues, spiritual warfare, wondering what in the world we were doing in Nicaragua (true!), and really trying to learn to press in and be used by God no matter what we were feeling.

Well, since that last update, the Lord has really worked in our hearts and is teaching us so many important truths about remaining in Him no matter how difficult the situation.  You would think that I would already know such a lesson having walked through the loss of my daughter and, by His grace, steadfastly remaining in Him through it all.  But, I am a slow learner, so I guess God still has a lot more lessons to teach me.

Anyway, by His grace, we have been learning to push Read more »

So, since we have cable in our house now (which we have to have in order to have the internet) Maria found a spanish channel for Jake called “Baby TV”.  This is great for him and he likes it a lot.  One day recently as I had to watch him when Maria was out, I did what any great parent does when taking care of a little one…I plopped him in front of the TV and turned on “Babysit TV” so that I could be undistracted in my holy computer research on how to reach the world for Christ.  Anyway, I ended up listening in the background to “Baby TV” and all of a sudden I found myself learning.  I was being taught spanish by animated shows such as “Queda con Mick (Stick with Mick).  It was great.  I actually learned a lot.  Basically, its a show for babies and toddlers to teach them…And in the spanish language I am a toddler…so its perfect.  Jake loves it…and I love it too.  I’m serious, I watch it now often with him because it really is a way for me to learn…to hear the language…to understand more conversation…to learn new vocab words such as caretilla (wheelbarrel), paleta de hielo (popsicle), inflatador (inflatable floaties), etc.  So…yeah…Baby TV rocks!

Though Isabela could also certainly benefit from this latest phenomenon of sitting in front of Baby TV, we decided to do something a little more mature for her and enroll her in school.  So, she is currently one of the only gringitas (little white girls) at Colegio Bautista in downtown León.  She has been going for a few weeks now and she really likes it.  She has made some friends, and she is learning the language a lost faster.  We plan to keep her here for at least the school year, after that we may resume homeschooling so that she really stays up on her educational level.  I can tell that the teacher just has them doing a lot of memorization and copying down facts and figures, but there does not seem to be hardly any type of critical thinking.  Our main purpose for her attending school is simply to learn the language.  So, I hope that by the end of the school year (December), she will be fluent enough in the language.  If not…well…there’s always Baby TV.  Yeah Baby!

Even though most of you receive my email updates, I wanted to share a little more specifics as to what has been going on with us as well as include a few pictures of my trip to El Rama.  By the way, if you are not receiving our email updates and would like to do so, please send me an email at codyandmaria2002@gmail.com and ask me to add you to our list.

We have had some hard weeks, but thanks be to God that He is seeing us through and giving us the strength to persevere.  The mission field is a battlefield…not a holiday vacation.  Whether its battling through major culture shock or battling against spiritual warfare…its still hard, but through the hardship however we see God at work in some great ways, both with regards to what He is doing in our own hearts as well as what ministry opportunities He is leading us to.

Recently I got back from a 4 day trip to a very rural part of Nicaragua called Wapí.  There, we had the opportunity to preach and teach the Word of God, both to the church as well as the community.  The church there shows a lot of outward religious expression, but very little true passion and desire to know God and grow in His grace.  So, the messages that I preached addressed issues such as religiosity and the extreme danger of it.  I also preached a message on Suffering and the Sovereignty of God because there are so many false beliefs in the church that state that Christians should not suffer…they should be healed.  So, my message on Sunday night spoke straight against such false beliefs.  Our pastor also preached a message that encouraged the church to stop focusing so much on mere outward religious expression and more on growing in our relationship with Christ.  So, it was a very powerful four days.  Below are some pics:

Leaving at 4AM for the 9 hour journey

El campo

Crazy dirt roads for the last 2 hours of the trip!

Typical food we ate each day...basic rice and beans with some sort of meat...wasn't bad

Me preaching on Saturday night

Thanks to God, many from the village came out and heard God's Word being proclaimed!

My friend Guillermo preaching in the park. God was at work and many heard the Word!

A picture at the end of our group with some of the church leaders. May God's Word achieve its intended purpose!

Acting a little crazy in Managua after the 9 hour drive back home.

It was a great trip and I pray that much fruit is born as a result of what we shared.  They have invited us to come back soon and continue to help encourage and equip the leaders of the church.

Also, my friend Guillermo, who wants to be a pastor, told me about a ministry that he just started up in his neighborhood where he is trying to reach out to the kids and teenagers by sharing God’s Word with them on a regular basis.  So, after spending the 4 days together in Wapí and talking much about the Gospel, I told him that I would like to come and help him with his ministry.  He was super excited and told me that I am most welcome to come any time.

So, yesterday I went to his house to join with him in this ministry.  We walked around his neighborhood for about 30 minutes just meeting different youth and families and inviting them to come to church with us on Sundays.  Then, we met back at his house where about 8 or 9 kids showed up.  I thought that I was just there to check things out and maybe support him in whatever way.  So, I was absolutely shocked when he tells the kids to all gather around because Cody is going to lead us in a teaching from the Bible!  Ok, I love to teach and share from God’s Word, right?  And God’s Word tells us that we must always be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have.  So, I’m ok with that…if I was speaking in English!  But, here I am totally put on the spot and these kids are now expecting me to share a teaching from God’s Word in their spanish language.  Wow!  I had no time to prepare notes…no time to even go through the Scriptures to get an idea of what I was going to share…no time to even think what I would want to say and perhaps go over in my head how I might say it in spanish.  But, there was only time for one thing…to start speaking and teaching from God’s Word.  And by His grace, that is what I did.

I shared with them about the importance of knowing God’s Word.  I challenged them that if they call themselves Christians, then it would only be right that they are learning what God’s Word says about God and about them.  I gave an example to help drive the point.  I asked them what would be the first thing that they would do if they received a new video game, but did not know yet how to play it.  They all understood that the best thing to do would be to read the directions that would tell them how to play the game so that they could get the most enjoyment out of the game.  So, I shared with them that God’s Word is the same way…it is the directions for a Christian…and it is only through knowing God’s Word in which we come to understand who God really is and what it is that He asks of us.  So, even though my spanish did not come off flawlessly, they all understood what I was saying.  I also shared with them the Scripture that says, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path” and I expounded more on what that really means.

At the end, my friend Guillermo thanked me for sharing and then told the kids “Dale una aplausa a Cody por enseñarnos” (Give Cody a round of applause for teaching us), but just as they began to clap, I stood up and told them to stop.  I reminded them that I too am just a man who is in need of just as much grace and truth from God.  I told them that to give an applause is not what is most important to God…or to me, but rather the thing that is most important is that we put into practice the word that we just heard.  So, I think I shocked them when I completely interrupted their standard applause, but this is what needs to be done.  We need to rock the boat!  We need to boldly and truthfully (in love) speak against the mere outward religious expression that these people have grown so accustomed to.

So, not only did I interrupt their applause, but I also took it a step further. I did not just encourage them to start reading the Bible, but I challenged them and told them that I will come back next week and that we will each go around the room and share something that we read this week from God’s Word.  Each one will have the opportunity to share for a few minutes something that they will have read from God’s Word and what it means.  I’m telling you…the group was wide-eyed, but they received it.  So, for starters, we had to make sure that every kid had a Bible.  Several did not, so we gave out new Bibles to some kids and told them to start coming each week with their Bible.

Then, a girl showed up just at the very end because she had something going on after school.  Guillermo told me that this girl normally comes and is very interested.  So, rather than telling her that she missed out on what was taught, I called upon some of the other kids and asked them, “Who thinks they can share with Johanna what I just shared with you from God’s Word?”  Again, shock!  This is not something that they are used to doing.  They are used to simply going to church or Sunday School or youth group, hearing a teaching, giving an applause, and going home.  So, I really put them on the spot.  But they rose to the occasion and a few were able to articulate well to the girl what the teaching was about.  I was so happy to see that they got it!

So, I told Guillermo that I will come regularly because it is very much on my heart to teach the Word of God to these kids.  I shared some ideas of what we can do so that we are very specific in how we teach them.  He is very excited to really start a plan of teaching and discipleship.

I also spoke with my pastor about our vision for training and equipping pastors so that they are better able to shepherd and teach their own congregation.  I told him about our partnership with reaching and teaching and how I can help bring teams down on a regular basis specifically for teaching and training pastors.  He is thrilled about it.  So, we have already started to put this in motion and hope to have our first team some time later this year.  It will be a three year training program, meeting three times per year for specific biblical training.  I am excited to be a part of helping bring biblical training to many pastors here in León.

Also, I was sharing with my pastor about the need to really have the leadership team of the church better equipped so that they can better lead the people into biblical truth.  I suggested to him the idea of starting a small group specifically for the leaders of the church.  I shared with him that Maria and I could help lead it or facilitate it or whatever.  So, I’m so glad to see that he has really agreed with this idea and the first leader’s small group will be this Saturday.  Please pray that God will give guidance and direction for how this group can be led so that the leaders of the church can be fed, nurtured, and equipped for the work of the ministry.

Also, the ministry at El Anexo continues to develop with the computer classes.  We are starting to connect more with the guys on a personal level.  Both Scott and I have visited with some of the guys outside of class.  Scott took a few to lunch with him the other week just to spend some more time getting to know them.  So, we will probably launch a Bible Study with them within the next few months.  Please pray that we can reach the hearts of these guys.

Maria has been getting more and more stirred up by God to get involved with ministering to women and young girls who are caught in the very dark world of sex trafficking.  She met a woman through a connection in our church who also has a heart for this ministry, and they are getting together this Saturday to talk about ways and strategies in which they may be able to reach out to these women and bring them the hope of the Gospel.  Please pray for her.  The world of sex trafficking is very dark and I’m sure she will encounter a lot of struggles and obstacles along the way.

So, that’s some of what is going on with the ministry side of things here.  Please pray for these different things as the Lord prompts your heart.  As you can see, what is most important to us in our mission work is the proclamation of the Gospel.  Everything that we do will have that specific aim.  And not just a one time simple message, but rather continuously teaching the people what the Gospel is and how we live it out in our daily lives for the glory of God.

Please pray for us.  Pray that we can push through the opposition.  Pray that we are provided with the financial support that is needed.  Pray that the Lord opens the hearts of the people.  Pray that the Lord sends more workers into the harvest.  Pray that God gives us wisdom and discernment in these various ministries.  Pray that our marriage and family remain strengthened so that we will not give the enemy a foothold in our lives or ministry.  Thank you so much for your prayers.  Que Dios les cuide por siempre.

Here are my sermon notes from a message that I recently preached in a rural village here in Nicaragua.  I preached this at an Assemblies of God church where they often have the misguided belief that Christians should not suffer illness and that we have the authority to declare our healing in the name of Jesus and that those who are not healed simply lack faith.  So, this message confronted such false beliefs.  This is why we need to focus our attention on preaching and teaching and making disciples here in Nicaragua rather than focusing on other things.  I pray that this message also speaks truth to your own heart.

The sovereignty of God in suffering

Biggest question that the unbeliever struggles with – if there is a God, why suffering?

 Biggest question the believer struggles with – why do I suffer even though I love God?

 Without understanding God’s sovereignty, we will never understand suffering nor will we ever learn how to suffer well for the glory of God.

First – God is sovereign…which means He is in control of everything. Nothing escapes Him. There is nothing too great that He cannot have control over.

Isaiah 40:21-26 (READ)

God is in control. He is sovereign over rulers, over governments, over natural disasters, over sickness, disease, and even death. He is in control.

But so often, we complain when we are going through a difficult time…when we are in pain…when the storms of life are overtaking us…and what is the first thing that we usually cry out?

“God…where are you?” We think that because we are suffering that somehow that means that He has abandoned us.

Look at the next verse of Isaiah 40:27. (READ)

“Why do you say to me O Israel, my way is hidden from the Lord…my cause is disregarded by my God.”

In other words…”Where are you?” We do the very same thing.

Let’s admit…its hard to see God at work when we are suffering terribly, right?

But He is still there…He has promised never to leave us.

And in order to trust Him in our pain and suffering, we must first understand that He is sovereign over it. Meaning that He has complete control over it.

We are not the only ones who have a difficult time understanding the purpose of suffering.

Talk about story of Job….He was demanding to know why he was suffering…and God answers him with more questions.  God never answered Job’s questions.  He rebukes his questions.

But first He gives him a strong rebuke in Job 38:1. “Who is this who darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?”

“Now, I will ask you and you shall answer me….where were you when….(the earth was created, the stars were put in place, the seas were given its boundaries)”  In other words, God was showing Job that God is completely sovereign and should not be questioned.

Job’s response – “I have been so foolish to contend with the Almighty. I will shut my mouth and speak no more.

And we often do the same thing in our moments of suffering….we darken the counsel of God by giving words without knowledge.

But we have a much greater advantage than Job….We have the counsel of God…the Word of God. In it we learn who God is…His goodness, His love, and His sovereignty.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (READ)

Let this remind us…let us say over and over to our very own souls the same thing…”Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of Heaven and earth.

O how we need to remind ourselves of this in the midst of our trial. We must remember that God is good and that He is in control of everything that we are going through.

Often, we want to fight against this. We often don’t truly believe it in our hearts and so what do we try to do? We try to do everything we can to escape from our suffering. We somehow think that God could not possibly be part of such pain that we are experiencing, so we try to run away from our pain as far as possible.

Some people run to things to distract them from their pain (television, relationships, work, etc). Some people run completely away from God because the pain is too great. And sadly, there are some in the church who have taught that any kind of suffering is not from the Lord, therefore it must be rebuked in the name of Jesus.

Somebody comes with a broken leg and is in much pain, yet the church has taught that in Christ we should be perfectly healed….yet here is a man that comes who is not healed. O he loves the Lord. He gives his very life to serve Christ and tell others about His love. What do you do? What do you say to that man?

Do you say, ” Hey brother, we just need to declare right now in the name of Jesus that this leg really is not broken. Its an apparition. It just looks broken. But we declare right now in the name of Jesus that this leg is not broken.”

But unless God performs a miracle, which He certainly can, but we cannot command Him to do so, this man walks back to his house still with a broken leg.

And there are some in the church who say, “Well, God did not heal him simply because he did not have enough faith. Because if He really loved God, he would not be suffering in this way.

But this response is not Biblical. The fact is that God allows suffering. Even to those who love Him and have all the faith in the world. The Bible is filled from beginning to end with people who loved God, yet suffered.

He is in control over our suffering. He uses our suffering to accomplish His will in our lives. He uses our suffering to sanctify us and make us more dependent upon Him.

So, instead of running away from the broken leg…instead of declaring that the leg is not really broken…instead of reasoning that the leg is not healed simply because we lack the faith….instead we should be saying,

“Lord, I know that you are good. Your Word tells me of your goodness. I know that you are sovereign and in control of everything. I know that you can heal me this very second from my broken leg if you so chose. But since you have not done that, I ask you now to show me how I may bring glory to your name through this pain that I am suffering. Teach me through my pain to trust you more. Teach me to look towards eternity more where one day I will be with you forever. “

Let me ask you a question? Which do you think takes more faith to continually glorify God? To be healed instantly of a broken leg? Or to not be healed and remain in pain for the rest of your life? Which takes more faith to praise and glorify God?

Don’t you think it would be easier to glorify God when the miracle happens in an instant? Don’t you think it would take more faith however to lift up your hands in praise and adoration to God while sitting in pain in a wheel chair for the rest of your life?

It takes a lot of faith in God’s goodness and sovereignty to go through the valley of suffering. That is why it is so important to know the character and nature of God.

Mat 10:29 (READ). His Word tells us that of the two sparrows that are sold for a penny that not one of them will fall to the ground apart from it being the will of the Father.

But that tells us something…sparrows do fall…it just tells us that God is in complete control of the falling sparrow. We don’t need to rebuke the falling sparrow…we need to embrace it and glorify God.

So, what is your falling sparrow? What is your greatest suffering? Physical illness, relationship difficulties, lack of resources. Don’t run away from these things. Don’t declare over and over in the name of Jesus that they don’t really exist….because they do! They are real. Instead, realize that God is good…that He is in control…that He has a purpose for everything…and glorify Him with your falling sparrow.

I had a fallen sparrow. (Susana)

But I had read in 1 Peter earlier that year and God taught me about suffering and His purposes before my daughter was ever sick. So, when she got sick…and even when she died, I knew and still know that God is altogether good…that He did not fail me…that it wasn’t because of a lack of faith that she wasn’t healed. He could have healed her…and I certainly prayed like crazy every day that He would. But He chose instead to call her home.

Sometimes sparrows fall.

But God is still on the throne.

He has a purpose for all that He does. He is glorified greatly when we trust Him and praise Him in the midst of our greatest sufferings.

First Peter is all about suffering…and glory. It was written during a time where the early Christians were being tortured and killed by the wicked Roman emperor. What does Peter tell them to do? You would think that Peter would write a letter to them giving them a specific plan of escape. You would think he would be saying, “Get out of there as fast as you can. Run!”

But no….He does not do anything like that.

Let’s look at 1Pet 1:3-9. (READ)

How does Peter begin this letter to a group of Christians who are being killed?

He reminds them of how awesome God is and what great promises He has given to us who trust in Him. That is why we need to really know who God is so that we can worship Him even in our sufferings.

Then he talks about their suffering. Does he attribute their suffering to the wicked Roman leaders? Does he say, “you guys are suffering because these Roman people have wicked hearts. I wish God could somehow intervene and stop the Romans, but I guess they are just too strong for Him to do anything.”

No, he reminds the believers that God is in control of their suffering…to embrace their suffering because God was allowing it so that their faith would be proved genuine and be refined as pure gold in the fire….for what end result? So that praise, glory, and honor would be given to Jesus Christ at the very end.

Talk about relationship between suffering and glory (1 Pet, 2 Cor 4, Rom

God allows suffering so that we may learn to trust Him and glorify Him and testify to the world who is watching that He is worth it all

I still don’t fully understand why He allowed my little girl to suffer and die from cancer. The only thing I do know is that we live in a fallen world because of sin…and as a result death and sickness, accidents, tragedies, poverty are part of this cursed world.

But the story does not end there. Christ came to redeem us. He has overcome the grave, therefore we who trust in Him will also rise to life…eternal life. My daughter is more alive right now than any of us here.

Christ has given us hope…but our ultimate hope and redemption is not promised here on this earth….

There will come a day when sickness, disease, tragedies, cancer, sin, and death will be completely done away with. But while we are still here on this earth…we will sometimes suffer. But God is with us. God uses our suffering. And God is glorified when we trust Him in the midst of it.

And let that be our greatest goal in life – to glorify God. Because He is worthy of all glory!

Let’s pray.

Sunday was a great day to be able to proclaim the Word of Truth to many.  I had the opportunity to preach at our church Sunday morning.  Because the church we attend is bi-lingual, I could not justify me preaching in Spanish and the native pastor translating to English.  So, I preached in English and he translated.  I taught on Hebrews Ch 1-3 with the theme being that Jesus Christ is the supreme fulfillment of all that God demonstrated in the Old Testament.  Relating to the first three chapters of Hebrews, I taught about how Christ is the supreme fulfillment of the way that God has spoken to His people.  In times past, He spoke to the prophets and the forefathers in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son Jesus.  So, we don’t need a fresh new word from God…He gave us the ultimate and most supreme word when He spoke through Jesus.  I taught how Christ is supreme over the angels, that the purpose of the angels according to Scripture is to worship the Son and to serve those people who will inherit salvation.  And finally, I taught how Christ is supreme over Moses.  Moses was faithful as a servant in the house, but Jesus is faithful over the whole house.  Jesus is the builder of the house.  I used an example of a checker board; Moses was faithful as a checker…he did what God asked him to do…he was a faithful servant, just like He calls us to be faithful servants.  But Jesus is the builder of the entire game and He is the One who controls all that takes place, including the final outcome of the game.  Therefore Jesus is deserving of far more glory.  That was the basic flow of my message.  I think it went well.

Preaching the supremacy of Christ at Iglesia Comunidad Cristiana en León, Nicaragua

Then, Sunday night I was in charge of leading the teaching for our Sunday Night Missionary Fellowship.  I spoke about Palm Sunday using texts from Mat 21:21, Jn 12:12, and Rev 7.  I shared about the difference between the sincerity of the crowd that was waving Jesus into Jerusalem with their cloaks spread out and palm branches (an act of complete submission) yet would cry out to have Jesus crucified just five days later compared to the multitude gathered around the Lamb’s throne in Revelation 7 waving their palm branches and saying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty…”  I taught about the fact that the sincerity of our worship cannot just be expressed through an outward physical act, but must originate with true faith in our hearts as to who the Lord Jesus is and what He came to do for us.  So, we had a good discussion. Yesterday, I went to El Anexo to try and visit one or two of the youth that we have been trying to get to know better.  I ended up spending about two hours with this young guy named Derain and his family.  It was good just to be able to bring up Christ in the conversation and be a witness for His goodness and truth.  I invited Derain to come out to lunch with me on Thursday.  I told him to invite a friend along as well.  I pray that there is more opportunity to get to know these guys and begin to be able to speak truth into their lives.  The overall purpose of our ministry in this barrio is to share the message of Christ with these youth and families and teach them what it means to follow hard after God.  We have been praying for some time as to what the Lord would have us specifically do in this area as a means to reach people with the Gospel.  We’ll be sharing soon about our vision and plan.

Getting to know the young guys at El Anexo

Finally, there was a day last week where I had to do a lot of preaching to myself.  That day was on March 22nd, Susana’s birthday. I hadn’t even realized it was her birthday until I was just about to leave in the morning and I saw Maria looking a little sad.  I asked her what was up, and she told me that today it Susana’s birthday.  So, I had a good cry on my hour and a half trip from León to Managua.  I miss my little girl so much!  I had to fight away the thoughts of “What would she have looked like by now?”  and other thoughts like that.  Its so hard not to go there, but doing so only causes pain and confusion.  So, I had to proclaim the Word of Truth to myself, reminding me of the Scriptures that state that there is no “Could have been” or “Should have been” in the eyes of God.  What happened is what happened.  All of Susana’s days were recorded in God’s Book before one of them ever came to be (Psalm 139)  And not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the care of our Heavenly Father.  So, I had to remind myself of these things, as well as the fact that my little girl is experiencing more life than I even know at this point.  She is living in incredible joy and glory in the presence of God, the angels, and all the saints (including an untold number of children) who have already gone on ahead.  I can’t wait for that great and glorious day when I get to join such a group of people.  But until then, I press on by the grace of God and “never let go.”

My little girl was always pointing toward Heaven...She knew where she was going.

A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite writers.  He has such an amazing passion for knowing God.  Here is an excerpt from one of his books called “The Incredible Christian”.  You can download the book free from pdf by clicking here.  Read this to understand what really marks a true follower of Christ.  We are not the same as the rest of the world.

The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth He finds that after his conversion he is not at home here. Like the nighthawk, which in the air is the essence of grace and beauty but on the ground is awkward and ugly, so the Christian appears at his best in the heavenly places but does not fit well into the ways of the very society into which he was born.

The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son of heaven among men on earth he must not follow the common pattern of mankind, but rather the contrary. That he may be safe he puts himself in jeopardy; he loses his life to save it and is in danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to get up. If he refuses to go down he is already down, but when he starts down he is on his way up.

He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but when he becomes rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most. He may be and often is highest when he feels lowest and most sinless when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he knows that he knows not and knows least when he has acquired the greatest amount of knowledge. He sometimes does most by doing nothing and goes furthest when standing still. In heaviness he manages to rejoice and keeps his heart glad even in sorrow.

The paradoxical character of the Christian is revealed constantly. For instance, he believes that he is saved now, nevertheless he expects to be saved later and looks forward joyfully to future salvation. He fears God but is not afraid of Him. In God’s presence he feels overwhelmed and undone, yet there is nowhere he would rather be than in that presence. He knows that he has been cleansed from his sin, yet he is painfully conscious that in his flesh dwells no good thing. He loves supremely One whom he has never seen, and though himself poor and lowly he talks familiarly with One who is King of all kings and Lord of all lords, and is aware of no incongruity in so doing. He feels that he is in his own right altogether less than nothing, yet he believes without question that he is the apple of God’s eye and that for him the Eternal Son became flesh and died on the cross of shame.

The Christian is a citizen of heaven and to that sacred citizenship he acknowledges first allegiance; yet he may love his earthly country with that intensity of devotion that caused John Knox to pray “O God, give me Scotland or I die.”

He cheerfully expects before long to enter that bright world above, but he is in no hurry to leave this world and is quite willing to await the summons of his Heavenly Father. And he is unable to understand why the critical unbeliever should condemn him for this; it all seems so natural and right in the circumstances that he sees nothing inconsistent about it.

The cross-carrying Christian, furthermore, is both a confirmed pessimist and an optimist the like of which is to be found nowhere else on earth. When he looks at the cross he is a pessimist, for he knows that the same judgment that fell on the Lord of glory condemns in that one act all nature and all the world of men. He rejects every human hope out of Christ because he knows that man’s noblest effort is only dust building on dust.

Yet he is calmly, restfully optimistic. if the cross condemns the world the resurrection of Christ guarantees the ultimate triumph of good throughout the universe. Through Christ all will be well at last and the Christian waits the consummation. Incredible Christian!

Our second week of our ministry at El Anexo went great.  This time we had two classes of 10, so there were some new people who joined the group.  The guys seem to enjoy what they are learning and so far they are doing well.  At the end of the class, we showed them a 5 minute video about domestic violence since domestic violence runs rampant all throughout Nicaragua.  It is just looked at as a common thing that a husband hits his wife regularly, and unfortunately…it is often just accepted as “the way it is.”  So, it was good to show them this video and then ask them what they thought about it.  They didn’t really say much at first.  Then Scott shared with them about the importance of taking this truth and putting it into practice.  It was great that they were able to hear another guy speak to them about the importance of showing kindness and love to the people that they love.

Then, I took the topic and pointed them to the Gospel, explaining to them that, unless God changes their  hearts, they won’t be able to stop doing these things.  I spoke about the real reason why a man would hit his wife…and that it all centers around selfishness.  The man wants what he wants, and if the woman does not comply, then he hits her.  So, I shared with them that the real problem is not the woman and how she might get on the nerves of the man, but rather the real problem is the selfish sin that lives within us which causes us to get mad when we don’t get what we want. (James 4:1-2)  And I shared that the only remedy for such a selfish sinful heart is the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I pray that the words fell on listening hearts and that the Lord opens their eyes so that they might truly see their need for Him.

Also, I went with the Youth Leader of our church to an evangelistic outreach that he recently began in a barrio in León.  There were about 15 or so youth ages 15-25 who came out.  The leader shared a quick message from the story of David and was taking about how we need to ask God to forgive us whenever we sin.  He then asked me if I wanted to add anything, so…I did.  Again, I took this as an opportunity to turn the conversation towards the Gospel and so I spoke to them about the basis of forgiveness, that we can’t just ask for forgiveness as it is just something that we always get, but that there has to be a basis upon which we can be forgiven.  So, I shared with them the fact that the basis of our forgiveness is solely on the blood of Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross.  It was really cool. I shared about the law and how God uses the law to show us that we can’t make it on our own, that we still lack something, that we need a redeemer.   As I was sharing, some of the family members from nearby houses came out and joined the crowd.  I could tell that what I was sharing was impacting some of the people.  I encouraged them to think about these things and that perhaps I would share more the next time. So, the next time will be tonight as the leader invited me to lead the teaching tonight.  So, I will continue to share with them the Gospel, for it is my greatest conviction that the Gospel is what God uses to open the heart.  May God be glorified.

Here are some pictures of our ministry at El Anexo and House of Hope