The last story I have from Carnaval is actually not from Carnaval. This story happened a couple weeks after Carnaval but it was still during my DTS outreach. One thing I’ve really love about God is that when we abide in Him and seek Him, He brings opportunities to us. A lot of the people Jesus healed, delivered, or ministered to were people who came to Him. He would be going about His business and someone would come up and ask Him to heal them (Luke 17) or tell them about Himself (John 3). I firmly believe that that the more we walk in intimacy with God and walk with our eyes open to those around us, the less we will have to go out and search for opportunities to share Jesus and the more opportunities will just be given or handed right to us and all we have to do is allow God to use us. Now this won’t always be the case, the command of Jesus is still to GO and make disciples of ALL nations. However, I think God loves to just give up opportunities when we make ourselves available to Him.
This story is one of evangelism but that is not how it started. It was a day off and I wanted to spend time with the LORD so I went to this ledge by the ocean where I go quite often. I had been there probably about 2 hours by myself reading my Bible, praying, and worshipping the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS. All of a sudden I see this guy by himself kind of walking towards me. He eventually walks straight towards where I am sitting. He asks me my name and where I’m from and then he says “Hablame a Christo.” Which means talk to me about Christ. Straight up. I didn’t have to force Christ into the conversation or strive or anything he just asked. So, I started telling him the best I could in my broken Spanish what I thought about Jesus. I told him Jesus is my best friend, my savior. I told him I love Jesus and that He is good, and that He forgives our sins. Then I asked him (Edgar was his name) if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart. He said yes. So I again in Spanish, did the best I could leading him in a prayer of salvation.
We then talked a little bit more, I asked about his family and such. Eventually I asked him if he had a Bible. He said no so I told him I’d go back to the base to grab him a Bible quick. Then this other guy walks about and heard us talking and straight up says that he needs a Bible. I quickly walked to the base grabbed a couple Spanish New Testaments and new believer pamphlet things we had. When I return, the 2nd guy who walked up, named Javier tells me, “Soy Christiano pero no fuego in mi Corazon.” Which means hes been a Christian but he doesn’t have any fire in his heart. I’m like we can pray for that, so I had Javier and Edgar repeat after me to receive the Holy Spirit and the fire of God’s love into their hearts. I then told them about churches in the area and went back to the base for dinner. That easy.
I love this story because both of these men came up to me, an American gringo who was just chillin’ and doesn’t speak very good Spanish. Why they came up to me, I don’t know but I know that it they were both divine encounters set up totally by God. Also this is one of my favorite stories from outreach because one of my outreach goals was to pray for someone in Spanish and in all my time in Mexico City that didn’t really happen beyond super simple. However, not only did I get to pray for these men in Spanish but I got to lead them to salvation all in Spanish. That sure makes 4 years of studying Spanish quite worth it.
I would like to end with encouraging all of you to abide in the vine and make yourself available everyday to whatever the LORD throws your way. I believe that if we walk in intimacy with the LORD and have our eyes open the opportunities are endless to share our faith, love, joy and peace with those around us. Jesus after all told us “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
(Joh 12:32)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Carnaval Stories (part 3 of 4)
The third story I would like to share about Carnaval is probably my favorite. It was another one of those nights where I felt God calling me to go the evangelism team. So I was down by the gates of Carnaval with the evangelism teams when Jeremy, one of the evangelists went over to these 3 girls across the street. These 3 girls were dressed very provocatively but you could tell they were really young. So Jeremy brings these 3 girls who end up being the ages of 14, 14, and 18 and he tells me to start praying to God for a word for them. I’m kind of nervous but I’m like alright lets do this. Jeremy started to talk to them about the gospel. Then I felt I was supposed to talk to them about how God is romantic and about the heart of the bridegroom. Soon after this they all received Jesus into their heart. This was awesome but the story isn’t over.
After this happened God started speaking to speak to me about one of the girls and that she had huge relationship problems with her father. So I asked her about it and started speaking to her about the Father heart of God. She it totally being touched at this point and I know God wants to move more but I didn’t know what to say next. Right at this moment, my friend Christie comes up and asks if she can share her testimony. She had been sitting across the street when God told her to come over and share. She was resistant at first because we were already talking to her. However she finally came over and it was perfect timing. Not only was the timing perfect but her testimony was actual exactly what this girl needed to hear. By the end the girl is just crying and Christie was able to comfort her and console her.
Next God spoke to me about another on of the girls and about how she was a creative person and liked to do art. So I spoke to her about God’s creative side. Then God spoke to me about the last girl that she really struggled with her physical appearance. I told her that God created her perfectly and sees her as beautiful and that she doesn’t have to dress a certain way to earn attention or love because she already has all of God’s attention and love. She also started crying and was really touched by the LORD. We then had them pray to receive the Holy Spirit and then we gave them all Bibles.
This story is awesome because it shows how God just wants to encounter people. We didn’t argue with them about whether God was real or not, we didn’t have to convince them of anything, we just spoke truth and spoke into things they were dealing with in their lives and it allowed the Holy Spirit to come and encounter them.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
(1 Corinthians 4:20)
After this happened God started speaking to speak to me about one of the girls and that she had huge relationship problems with her father. So I asked her about it and started speaking to her about the Father heart of God. She it totally being touched at this point and I know God wants to move more but I didn’t know what to say next. Right at this moment, my friend Christie comes up and asks if she can share her testimony. She had been sitting across the street when God told her to come over and share. She was resistant at first because we were already talking to her. However she finally came over and it was perfect timing. Not only was the timing perfect but her testimony was actual exactly what this girl needed to hear. By the end the girl is just crying and Christie was able to comfort her and console her.
Next God spoke to me about another on of the girls and about how she was a creative person and liked to do art. So I spoke to her about God’s creative side. Then God spoke to me about the last girl that she really struggled with her physical appearance. I told her that God created her perfectly and sees her as beautiful and that she doesn’t have to dress a certain way to earn attention or love because she already has all of God’s attention and love. She also started crying and was really touched by the LORD. We then had them pray to receive the Holy Spirit and then we gave them all Bibles.
This story is awesome because it shows how God just wants to encounter people. We didn’t argue with them about whether God was real or not, we didn’t have to convince them of anything, we just spoke truth and spoke into things they were dealing with in their lives and it allowed the Holy Spirit to come and encounter them.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
(1 Corinthians 4:20)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Carnaval Stories (part 2 of 4)
My second Carnaval story is a story of obedience. Many times when we are doing things in ministry we wrongly go after success in our ministry as our main motive. While it is not bad to desire a successful ministry this should not be our focus. Our focus should be 100% obedience to God.
One night of Carnaval about 3 of us felt God telling us to set up a “prayer tent” in a sense. We made a sign that said prayer and stood under a Pacifico (Mexican beer) tent right in front of Casa del Marino which was our outreach base. So we were right outside our hair salon, coffee shop, kids ministry, and prayer room. However, this night of Carnaval there were barely any people walking by our building. This could have been an easy excuse to give up on the prayer tent and find something else to do that was doing more but we knew what God had told us so we stayed. People walked by and we’d ask if they wanted prayer and they’d say no. Then no one would walk by. However finally, this one guy comes up and doesn’t ask for prayer but starts asking us where we are from.
We end up talking to him for quite a while about Jesus, about his family and many other things. He was totally wasted but you could tell the Holy Spirit was getting through and he was being touched and really encouraged. He then proceeded to bring us over to his 3 friends who ended up accepting Jesus into their hearts as well as inviting the Holy Spirit into their lives. We got to give them all Bibles as well and really encourage them to seek after the LORD. It was really awesome because these were the only people we talked to all night. So it wasn’t that we got to reach a lot of people but we were obedient to the LORD and talked to the 4 men he had prepared for us to talk to that night. It is so satisfying to walk in obedience to the LORD even when it doesn’t seem to produce results. However even when we don’t see the results God knows what He is doing we just need to trust Him and obey. We need to find satisfaction in obeying Him not in the things that happen as a result.
"And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.
(Deut 11:13-15)
One night of Carnaval about 3 of us felt God telling us to set up a “prayer tent” in a sense. We made a sign that said prayer and stood under a Pacifico (Mexican beer) tent right in front of Casa del Marino which was our outreach base. So we were right outside our hair salon, coffee shop, kids ministry, and prayer room. However, this night of Carnaval there were barely any people walking by our building. This could have been an easy excuse to give up on the prayer tent and find something else to do that was doing more but we knew what God had told us so we stayed. People walked by and we’d ask if they wanted prayer and they’d say no. Then no one would walk by. However finally, this one guy comes up and doesn’t ask for prayer but starts asking us where we are from.
We end up talking to him for quite a while about Jesus, about his family and many other things. He was totally wasted but you could tell the Holy Spirit was getting through and he was being touched and really encouraged. He then proceeded to bring us over to his 3 friends who ended up accepting Jesus into their hearts as well as inviting the Holy Spirit into their lives. We got to give them all Bibles as well and really encourage them to seek after the LORD. It was really awesome because these were the only people we talked to all night. So it wasn’t that we got to reach a lot of people but we were obedient to the LORD and talked to the 4 men he had prepared for us to talk to that night. It is so satisfying to walk in obedience to the LORD even when it doesn’t seem to produce results. However even when we don’t see the results God knows what He is doing we just need to trust Him and obey. We need to find satisfaction in obeying Him not in the things that happen as a result.
"And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.
(Deut 11:13-15)
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