Category: church planting


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We have lately visited Zinacatan Indian villages.  Around five years ago we did several months of discipleship for the leaders in one particular village. We haven´t had contact with them or invitations and we have been concerned about news we were hearing. We praise the Lord to be invited back to speak at this church.

We had heard that a cult was working in this area, believe it or not it is called (Growing in Grace) the church we had been teaching in is called (Grace over Grace)

The cult is lead by a man Jose Luis Almiranda who first claimed to be Christ. They have a radio station in the Indian village and broadcast in the whole area. They have a large following here. As the time past now the leader proclaims to be the Antichrist. Uh mmm! What?  yes it´s true. What is amazing to me is that people still follow him.

Sunday while waiting to inner the church a large group of  Indian people walked by us and Crystal ask the leaders in the church who they were and what church they attended. Turns out that these are followers of the cult but had been members of the Christian church we were speaking in.

They have all been branded with a hot iron with the numbers 666. Yes you read right!  This is almost unbelievable but we have heard the rummer now we see it for ourselves.

We are saddened for the people who fell into this cult but praise God the leaders of Grace over grace have stood strong.

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♥While studying at Bethany school of mission years ago, one of my classes dealt with church diseases. Churches being organic can have diseases too. Here I want to share some of these.

  • Koinonitis
  • No you won´t find this word in the dictionary but koinonia – Christian fellowship or communion with God or with fellow Christians.
    Christian fellowship is very important but when out of balance a group can become only inward looking even creating clicks, only wanting to fellowship with the original group. A healthy church must fellowship but keep hearts open to growing inviting new folks to be a part of the church.

  • Evangelitis
  • The church is called to fish for men, evangelize the community, country and nations, but when that´s all it does it can become critical of those that aren´t blazing fires of evangelist. Again we need times of healing through the Word taught, fellowship lived and God worshiped.

  • Worshipitis
  •  I love to worship God, enter into His presence through songs of praise and adoration, I have had times of worship alone and with other believers that I thought I would go right then and there into heaven. Chicken bumps and my hair standing straight up. Experiencing God´s presence is super, but He is always with me.
    Once in a Christian concert we had already found our seats when a lady came down to the front and demanded a seat on the front row she was upset and fighting with somebody and got loud the musician came down to calm the situation before the concert began and finally she got a seat. The minute the music began she turned into an angel with hands raised. Our worship in the church must be done in humility and fellowship with others.

  • I´m not sure what to call the next itis
  • I believe there are some important doctrines that we must be dogmatic about, we can´t give any tolerance and we must stand strong in our faith. But some doctrines can be held with an open hand. Some differences on how to dress, if you speak in tongues or not, pet doctrines should never stop us from worshiping God together.

    I believe you get the Idea! We the church must live balanced lives if we want to have a healthy church.
    Doctrine is very important,
    How we see God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
    Understanding what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
    Who and how we see ourselves as Christians, God´s children.
    How we see the Church.
    And what is my gifting and calling in the church is super important so that I grow as a member and follower of Jesus Christ.

    Church is about relationships
    First to Jesus Christ
    Second to my brothers and sisters in Christ
    Third to a lost world of people in need of a Savior.
    Our relationship with God as with people must be two way.
    Listening is always good.

    The church is called to love, to go, to worship to learn to grow.

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    Some of my friends who commented on the question, “What does a healthy church look like?”
    Please send your comments
     
    The one that Jesus is the Head of. 1st, it must be distinguished from a perfect church – none exist on this side of heaven, but one where you are able to grow in your relationship to Christ, and His Church where you are able to exercise liberty with discretion Where Christ is exalted as the Head where you have a peace about being Where the Holy … See MoreSpirit resides and where you experience God’s love without bondage control manipulation judgment or fear, a healthy church is a body of believers that believe in the full concept of there being no limits with God and understanding that salvation is just the beginning.Having leaders in the ministry that are whole and at a level to lead others into a place of wholeness. We can go to calvary and we have salvation, we can go to pentecost and we are filled with the Holy spirit, but how many are willing to go to the cross and die. The church that is willing to understand that to die is to LIVE is a healthy church.
     
    We the people are the church. When we do not limit God to a place or a building then we just begin to be healthy. A healthy church begins with a healthy personal walk with God as he abides in us His Temple.
     
    A quote from my grandmothers Bible says, “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future”. I think most healthy churches are about the same way.
     
    It looks like Acts 2:42-46.If we keep the Geat Commandment and love God and love others, we will BE His body in the earth. We care, we share, we love. We’ve found that and we’ve never been happier.
     
    A healthy church is like a hospital. a place full of sick people trying to get healed of their sickness and disease.
     
    A healthy Church is a group of people who realize that they are sinners, trying to become Saints. They do it by mixing and mingling with friends, family and neighbors with the same motive
     
    A healthy church consists of members that are consuming a steady diet of the Word of God, exercising their faith according to the Word received, communing with God in prayer, and impacting the world around them. A healthy church is a growing church- individually and corporately.
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    Lately I have desired to move forward but really seemed I was moving backwards.  In my morning prayers I cried out to God and He began to speak to me about somethings and being obedient to what He said I am writing this.

    Over the years I have had leaders that mentored me,  great men of God I saw many lives changed around them. There was a sense that wherever they walked God was there and something was about to change, something was going to move. It was great being apart of what God was doing with these men. One of these men was Bertist Rouse a man after God’s own heart. Bertist started IGO International Gospel Outreach and I was the first missionary with IGO of which I am a member now. Bertist was a great teacher his messages were simple following a 1,2,3 etc. steps. Mostly about being a disciple of Christ and missions. View full article »

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    Click here to read Ricky and Crystal Newsletter Dec. 2009

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    Porfilia finds Christ

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    On my recent trip to Candelaria I visited Porfilia and she received Christ.  Candelaria is a 7 1/2 hour trip.  Two hours by highway, two hours rural and dirt roads and 3 1/2 hours tracking up a mountain. We are building a church in this Tojolabal Indian village the only church around the area.

    After meeting with the new church Saturday I was ask by a precious Indian brother if I wanted to visit with an elderly lady up the hill who was interested in hearing the gospel. The next day Octavio and I hiked up the hill to a small shack where we visited Porfilia. She greeted us with a smile and ask us to sit. I don’t speak Tojolabal so Octavio interpreted for me. I shared to gospel and how Christ loved us so much. Porfilia said she wanted to go to the meeting but because of her leg she couldn’t walk down the hill. I explained that it wasn’t about a meeting to go to, but about meeting Christ here and now in her house. She said she wanted to and we prayed together.   Her face and Octavio assured me that she understood. I was thrilled she received our Lord. I looked around her shack, all she possessed was worth in the worlds eyes nothing but to God she was worth more than all the gold and silver and God sending His Son Christ Jesus to save her soul. That day we spent over an hour in her home and I promised her on my next trip up to visit her. I spoke later to the new church of the need to visit Porfilia. The oldest Christian in this village is at this writing 6 months old and the pastor in training is 5 months. Raul is being discipled and must mature quickly pray for this baby church.

    You can see more pictures of our trip by clicking on the pictures on the sidepost. My daughter went with me and did a great job ministering to the children.

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    Missionaries are people too

    Never feel sorry for a missionary we are privileged to service the King of Kings! but we are not supermen and women we just serve a SUPER GOD.

    1. We hurt
    2. We get sick
    3. We feel lonely at times
    4. We fail (much more than you will know)
    5. We have disagreements with other missionaries ( the greatest factor in attrition on the mission field is missionaries not getting along. Why? It take people with strong character to reach the missions field, so sometimes we do butt heads.  Hey Paul did!
    6. Missionaries can be territorial. Hey I’m working here you go over there!
    7. Sometimes we spend all day sometimes days waiting in lines to get a piece of paper that gives us permission to ask for another piece of paper so we can apply for permission to stay in a country a month or year more. (RED TAPE)
    8. Most of the time we are the minority. Think about it.
    9. US missionaries if living out of the States for more than six month get no earned income credit and pay taxes and social security total amount. personally When I live in the States for over six months I get money back from IRS but living in Mexico I pay.
    10. Sometimes we make enemies who try to get us kicked out of the country. I have and they have tried, I’m still here.
    11. We take risks sometimes to prosper and sometimes to fail.
    12. We have family issues just like you. We work through them with God just like you do.
    13. A lot of these are negative but the positive far out weigh the negative.
    14. We are privileged in getting to know many beautiful people, beautiful countries, to be used of God to reach out to people with the gospel, people who otherwise would not hear the goodnews.
    15. What a honor to serve the Lord and be sent out by loving brothers and sister from our home country, culture and family.

    We are no different than or better than our brothers and sisters in Christ back home just called to do what Christ has called us all to do but in another country, culture and language.

    The next question I want to deal with is Are all Christians missionaries?

    Hey add a comment

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    What is God’s dream for you?

    Did you know God has a dream for you?  Yes He really does. We can call it vision, plan or desire but it is God’s not ours. It becomes ours when we began walking with Him and His dream for us.  Others can have a dream for us. Iike we can  have dreams for our own children big dreams and we can have a dreams for ourselves but, we find fulfillment and God size purpose  when we know and walk in God’s dreams for us. When we walk in God’s dream we are transformed, our lives change and people around us are changed, the effect of living God’s dream has a domino effect that can reach thousands.

    My cry to God is lead me to your dreams for me. How can I (you) reach His dreams for us.

    • Be open to change
    • Be willing to pay the cost
    • Enjoy the journey
    • Fall in love with God
    • How? Because He first loved you
    • To know Him is to love Him
    • Get to know God
    • His dreams for me are God sized dreams, nothing is impossible with God
    • God’s dreams for me interconnect with others and His dreams for them
    • My dreams can sometimes be selfish God’s dreams for me always include others

    Am I (you) living God’s dream?   How do I know?

    What general things has He already told me to do?

    1. Love God, love others (my neighbor) This only comes by faith
    2. Go make disciples!  His kingdom come His will be done. His dreams for me involve His kingdom coming to earth through me (you) to other
    3. Rest in God

    Do you know how to find God’s dream for you?   Leave a comment!

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