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.

click below this is a pdf file

Living Clay Ministries Newsletter March 2010

♥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.

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.

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.

 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 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.

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. God healed people at his services and called people out to serve the Lord. It was really great to be with Bertist. One of the notable traits he had was the discipline of daily devotions and worship. I loved Bertist but he had flaws spats of anger I marked it up to his problems with diabetes, sugar highs and lows. The other flaw at least with me was his misjudgment and being influenced by some people who spoke evil of me, sadly he believed their lies and we  fell out of fellowship. This has been a painful event in Crystal my wife and my life. But through it all we learned much.

The next person who was my mentor was Isidro Galindo. It was amazing to walk with him, you just knew God was going to do some great thing around Isidro. I went on many trips with him and saw people healed marriages restored, people called out to ministry and new churches established  great great acts of God. And like Bertist, Isidro had flaws I loved Isidro also but at the end we fell out of fellowship for some of the same reasons as with Bertist, people influenced Isidro to discard me and the ministry Crystal and I had built. This again was very painful to us and we suffered a few years through these broken relationships.  Both of these men are dead now gone to be with the Lord. I was privileged to walk with them for a time. I don’t mean any dishonor to them God used them greatly and they were special men but just that, men. Flawed men just like me. I find myself wanting to do great things for God but drag this body of flesh around with me, inferiority complex, and character flaws I struggle with and want to change. A great desire to be a servant leader but so limited by my character, education, some dyslexia and some physical restraints. BUT GOD!!!

I have spent much time thinking on these things and wanting to be used of God I have read much on leadership great men like John Maxwell and others. I have wanted to better myself build my character study and become a great man of God also, but one without so many flaws, but find myself full of flaws terrible flaws in my character. I have great visions of planting churches in all the world but these visions seem so far away and how could God use a weak and flawed man like me. As I prayed this morning I remembered these two great men of God who mentored me and just like they were with flaws I find myself. I don’t assume to to compare myself to them they both were giants of faith to me men after God’s own heart and that is what I desire to be a man after God’s own heart

As I weep before the Lord this morning, my cry has been, use me Lord in spite of  all my flaws. God uses flawed men. We contain in us in this clay the Spirit of the Living God to him be the glory and honor. If I (we) can learn to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit then God will use us.  I don’t discount the plans and strategies of great men of God. Leadership is important and I continue to listen and read about leadership but when it comes to planting churches and missions it really all comes down to hearing from God. He will build His church!!! I just want to be apart of that. Like my mentors I make mistakes when I listen to men and not God. But also like them if I am lead of the Holy Spirit miracles happen, people are saved, healed, called into ministry and churches planted.  With all my flaws God is God and He is my God I (we) are His sons and daughters.

May we really be lead of the Holy Spirit of God!!!

Click here to read Ricky and Crystal Newsletter Dec. 2009

Porfilia finds Christ

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.

]]> http://www.livingmissions.com/?feed=rss2&p=314 0 http://www.livingmissions.com/?p=298 http://www.livingmissions.com/?p=298#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:25:19 +0000 Rick http://www.livingmissions.com/?p=298

Leadership, Vision and Passion

How does a leader find vision?

• Prayer- Kingdom vision must come from the King Jesus Christ and we find that vision in prayer
• Consult- God has placed around us a body of believers, pastors, family that can hear from the Lord, seek their advice
• The Bible- This is obvious God speaks through the written Word we need Bible study to here God’s vision

• Passion- God has placed in us all passions those things that excite us to talk about, dream about and do.  Kingdom passions.
• Where is the need? What are the problems I can address?

Find your passion and you will find vision. But we need more than passion to reach a vision we need work.  Reaching a vision will take  Passion + 10% Ability + 90% Work

Passion+ability+work=VISION

Once we have a vision we find some truths

1. We can’t do it alone God must put like Kingdom vision people around us.  TEAM

2. God must put resources in our hands. FINANCES

3. We must develop goals toward reaching set vision. STRATEGY

4. We must set parameters to keep us on track toward the vision

1. Our core values when lived out will do this. What are your core values?
2. Develop questions that keep you focused on the vision such as “Will this decision, plan, invitation take me closer or farther away from the vision?”

5. We must train and educate ourselves and the team God places around us. READ books, go to semanars, conferences, find a coach, seek advice from others who are following like vision.