Advance the Gospel

Parenting…

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Below are my thoughts from my daily Bible reading.  This was from a few days ago and I am still thinking about it.  These are my raw thoughts.

Bible Reading:  2nd Chronicles 21-24

Athaliah was Judah’s only Monarch.  Her story can be found in 2 Chronicles 22:10 and ends with 2 Chronicles 23:21.  She was a wicked, wicked woman who killed all of her descendants (save one).  She did this so that she could take the throne.  She succeeded.  I think that in her we get a glimpse of the depths of our human depravity.  What I find interesting is who her parents were.  Ahab and Jezebel!  The most wicked King of Israel and his wicked wife were the father and mother of Athaliah!  Having a father and mother like that probably propelled Athaliah into such wickedness.  Her father wanted a vineyard that he could not have.  Ahab and Jezebel killed the owner (Naboth).  In their selfishness, they killed for a vineyard!  Athaliah saw how to fulfill her covetous desires even by murder.  We see her do this very thing.
Evil parents don’t always make evil children, neither do good parents necessarily make good children.  I think we still make our own choices!  What is true is that parents have an influence on their children!  We must seek to be parents that point our children to Jesus!

Where I Stand vs. Where I’m Going

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Below are my thoughts from my daily Bible reading.  This was from a few days ago and I am still thinking about it.  These are my raw thoughts.

Bible Reading:  Judges 1-3

I think that where you stand is important but perhaps more important is the direction you are going.
Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants of the Land.  Many of them were kept as slaves.  I am sure that they thought it was better that way.  They knew they wouldn’t depart from God.  That just wasn’t going to happen because they were committed!  They were right, they stayed faithful to God.  But the problem is not always where you are, it can be the way you are going!  After that generation died, the next generation was around all those they did not drive out, and they didn’t know the God that their fathers and mothers knew.  They gladly received the gods of those that were never driven out.  From that point on, this would almost always be a problem present within Israel!
It could have well been avoided had that generation who stood with God not only held the right position, but would go in the right direction!  It is imperative for us to understand that the decisions we make do not only guide us, but they may well guide generations to come.  Where we stand may not be a horrible place to stand, but it may be a slippery slope for those that follow after us!

Vision Impact Weekend

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We have an incredible opportunity coming up for those 16 years old and up.  It is our Vision Impact Weekend.  The dates are July 24-26, 2014.  The cost is only $15!  Check out the advertisement below for more information.  This is a chance for you and others to get around missionaries that are from and going to countries around the world!

Make plans to be with us.  It will be an event you won’t forget!

 

Vision Impact

What I Saw in Argentina

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We recently took a survey trip to Argentina.  The trip started out different than we had anticipated.  We flew out of Atlanta to Miami (where we had a connecting flight…or so we thought).  We arrived in Miami only to wait 10 hours for our connecting flight to Buenos Aires, but it was eventually cancelled.  This put our arrival into Buenos Aires in the evening, missing much of the day’s events.  We spent our time with former Missionary couple Jeff and Mindy Bush.  They served in Argentina in a city called “La Plata” (more on this later).

Interesting facts about Argentina…

  • Argentina has a population of over 42 million people.
  • Buenos Aires (the capital city) is the 20th largest city in the world!
  • There are three other cities with a population over 1 million people.
  • Less than 9% of the Argentines are believers (this is a generous estimation).
  • There is a specific area of about 5 million people inside Buenos Aires with absolutely no Gospel preaching church that we know about or can find.

These facts are stirring, but the truth is these sorts of facts can be found about almost anywhere in the world.  What I found so compelling was the ministry in a city called La Plata.  Missionary Jeff Bush has done in La Plata exactly what needs to be done in all the world… evangelize the lost and train men!  Brother Jeff Bush has been gone from Argentina for about 2 years now, and the churches that have been left are growing and reproducing!  A new church has just been started in an area where there wasn’t one.  This is being accomplished without an American missionary.  How?  Because Brother Jeff trained men that not only continued but are working to train other men to go out and do the same.

The diversity I saw was unlike anything I saw in Peru or Chile (both places of incredible works for Jesus)!  There is a great population of Paraguayans, Peruvians, Brazilians, Europeans as well as others that live in Argentina.  It has become a sort of “melting pot”.  One of the Pastors that Brother Bush trained is a Paraguayan.  Another is a Peruvian.  These two men have a great burden for Argentina, but also have a great burden for their home countries!  This sort of thing opens up unusual opportunities.  I saw that when you “touch” Argentina with the Gospel, you are not just touching Argentina, you are touching many other countries as well!