Thursday, March 27, 2008
Family, please get ready to welcome a new member.
For all the family who are reading this, Eliana and I have some special news. Eliana is pregnant, and we are expecting a baby in approximately 8 1/2 months. Eliana and I are both happy, and wish very much to have our little baby in our arms. I told Eliana that when my family see´s our baby, we should give the baby a kiss, because might not see him/her for a while. She said it is the same with her family, and how everyone is so excited to have a baby in the family. I want very much to be a good father. I know Eliana will be a good mother. Please pray for the health of the baby, and also for Eliana as she goes through this pregnancy. Thank you so much :)
what could a little lie hurt?
I wanted to write about something, and hope that it is of help. I want to write about lying, but I don´t want to just say that it´s a sin, and that is all. I think a lot of times we lie, because we underestimate God or simply do not trust that He will come through for us. Or we lie to gain the approval of others. I have done all those things. But God has also taught me a lot. There have been times that I told the truth when it meant that it might cost me a lot. But there have also been times when I let God down, and caved in under the pressure, and lied. I think that God allows satan to test us to see if we will tell the truth. And I think that satan tells us lies to scare us, and sets us up, and then the time comes when we have to tell the truth or lie, and the decision is ours. satan can only lie to and try to scare Christians, he cannot actually make them sin. The Bible says that God gives us a way to escape all temptations.
I think satan likes to tell us things like ¨its such a small lie (or exaggeration), it doesn´t really matter¨, or will get us to justify it in other ways.
In the Bible, after Jesus was arrested, one of his disciples, Peter, had went unnoticed to where Jesus was, and was waiting to see what would happen to Jesus. But some people noticed that Peter was a follower of Jesus, and when they asked him, he said ¨No, I do not know Jesus¨. When the pressure was on, Peter lied. I am sure all sorts of things were going through Peters mind. He had just seen Jesus get arrested, and possibly seen Him get beaten. Jesus Himself had told his disciples that He would be killed. I imagine that Peter was worried about being arrested, and possibly also being beaten or killed. And also Peter made the decision to lie, and not once, but 3 times. And Jesus was in eyesight of Peter, because when Peter lied for the third time, it says that Jesus looked straight at Him. And then Peter felt horrible.
You might say, ¨well that is different, Peter was denying Christ, and that is worst than any lie¨. But I think when the pressure was on, and Peter had to make the choice between telling the truth and lying, I don´t think he realized that the lie would actually be denying Christ. Peter was trying to protect himself, and did not realize the magnitude of what He was doing. And after he had lied 3 times, he realized what He had done, and he felt horrible.
What I want to say is that I don´t think we realize the consequences that can come from even what we consider a small lie. And in Gods eyes, I don´t know if a ¨small¨ lie even exists. I imagine that no lies are small to God. Peter lied, and realized that what he had done was a huge mistake, and regretted it very much. But how many times do we lie, and then never regret it?
The reason I am writing about this is I think that lying can cause us to miss out on a lot of things. When we are faced with a decision to tell the entire truth, or to tell part truth/part lie, or to completely lie, I think a person needs to have their faith in God, because then they know they can tell the truth, and that God is in control, and the outcome will be in Gods hands.
I will use an example from my own life. Although I have lied more times than I can count, here is a time that I did not give in to satans lies and temptation. When I was in Iowa before our wedding, there was lots of stuff to do to get ready to come to Peru, including getting some documents ready. Something that was always in the back of my mind was ¨maybe I need a special document or visa to be able to enter Peru to get married¨. I know in the United States that a foreigner cannot enter the United States on a visitors visa to get married. So I thought the same might be in Peru. And so I tried to read about it on the internet, and didn´t find anything. I emailed a Peru consulate in the United States, but got no reply. So I never got an answer to my question, and I think that is what God wanted. On the plane to Peru, we have to fill out paperwork to have ready for the Peru immigrations. And one of the questions is ¨why do you want to enter Peru¨. The truth is that my fiance is in Peru, and we are getting married, and we wish to then live in Peru together. But the visa that I am entering the country with is a tourist visa, and to me it doesn´t seem like marriage and living in Peru falls under the category ¨tourist¨. Anyways, I had a choice to make. I could either be honest and write ¨marriage¨, or lie and write something else. All sorts of things went through my mind. I pictured myself in front of the immigrations office, and what would he do when he finds out that I want to get married on a tourist visa? I thought about Eliana waiting at the airport, and wishing so much to see me, but I am detained by immigrations until I am eventually sent back to the United States, and how hard that would be on Eliana and I. All that might sound strange, but those were my fears, and it was very real to me. I had to make a choice to take things into my own hands, and sin, and in my own mind I would then have a better chance of getting through immigrations to Eliana. Or I could write ¨marriage¨, and put everything in Gods hands, and know that He is in control. And that is what I did, I wrote ¨marriage¨ in the line. And while standing in line for immigrations, I was really nervous, but you know what happened? The immigrations officer asked no questions, but stamped my visa, and sent me through. It turned out that I never needed a special document or visa, and that I could get married on a tourist visa.
All the times I have lied, those were opportunities that God gave me, but I failed. Those were opportunities to trust God, but I chose to take things into my own hands. But this time was different, and I did not give in to the temptation, even when the stakes were so high. God does not allow us to be tempted with more that we can handle. God gives us a way out of all temptations. And my way out of this tempation was to write ¨marriage¨, and let God have control. And because I trusted God, my faith became greater, because I saw how God helped me. God is trustworthy. Although He may allow us to go through difficult situations, He will not forsake us. Although we may see no trace of Him, He is there, and in control.
p.s. Jesus Christ was obedient even to the cross. He knew that God wanted him to die for peoples sin, and so Jesus went willingly to the cross to be executed. I wonder how many times satan whispered in his ear ¨you know, you don´t have to do this¨. Jesus Christ experienced temptation, and I imagine so much more than we will ever experience. But Jesus always stood strong in the face of temptation, and never sinned. People made fun of Jesus because He said He was the Son of God, but when He was hanging on the cross, He did not use His power to bring Himself down. Jesus said that there were armies of Angels ready to fight for Him. I think that when the Angels saw the King of Kings crucified on a cross, they were dressed for battle. But Jesus never gave the order to fight. If Jesus had not died on the cross, we could not be forgiven, because our punishment would not have been taken. But Jesus died on the cross. He was obedient all the way to the end, and accomplished what He came to accomplish.
I think satan likes to tell us things like ¨its such a small lie (or exaggeration), it doesn´t really matter¨, or will get us to justify it in other ways.
In the Bible, after Jesus was arrested, one of his disciples, Peter, had went unnoticed to where Jesus was, and was waiting to see what would happen to Jesus. But some people noticed that Peter was a follower of Jesus, and when they asked him, he said ¨No, I do not know Jesus¨. When the pressure was on, Peter lied. I am sure all sorts of things were going through Peters mind. He had just seen Jesus get arrested, and possibly seen Him get beaten. Jesus Himself had told his disciples that He would be killed. I imagine that Peter was worried about being arrested, and possibly also being beaten or killed. And also Peter made the decision to lie, and not once, but 3 times. And Jesus was in eyesight of Peter, because when Peter lied for the third time, it says that Jesus looked straight at Him. And then Peter felt horrible.
You might say, ¨well that is different, Peter was denying Christ, and that is worst than any lie¨. But I think when the pressure was on, and Peter had to make the choice between telling the truth and lying, I don´t think he realized that the lie would actually be denying Christ. Peter was trying to protect himself, and did not realize the magnitude of what He was doing. And after he had lied 3 times, he realized what He had done, and he felt horrible.
What I want to say is that I don´t think we realize the consequences that can come from even what we consider a small lie. And in Gods eyes, I don´t know if a ¨small¨ lie even exists. I imagine that no lies are small to God. Peter lied, and realized that what he had done was a huge mistake, and regretted it very much. But how many times do we lie, and then never regret it?
The reason I am writing about this is I think that lying can cause us to miss out on a lot of things. When we are faced with a decision to tell the entire truth, or to tell part truth/part lie, or to completely lie, I think a person needs to have their faith in God, because then they know they can tell the truth, and that God is in control, and the outcome will be in Gods hands.
I will use an example from my own life. Although I have lied more times than I can count, here is a time that I did not give in to satans lies and temptation. When I was in Iowa before our wedding, there was lots of stuff to do to get ready to come to Peru, including getting some documents ready. Something that was always in the back of my mind was ¨maybe I need a special document or visa to be able to enter Peru to get married¨. I know in the United States that a foreigner cannot enter the United States on a visitors visa to get married. So I thought the same might be in Peru. And so I tried to read about it on the internet, and didn´t find anything. I emailed a Peru consulate in the United States, but got no reply. So I never got an answer to my question, and I think that is what God wanted. On the plane to Peru, we have to fill out paperwork to have ready for the Peru immigrations. And one of the questions is ¨why do you want to enter Peru¨. The truth is that my fiance is in Peru, and we are getting married, and we wish to then live in Peru together. But the visa that I am entering the country with is a tourist visa, and to me it doesn´t seem like marriage and living in Peru falls under the category ¨tourist¨. Anyways, I had a choice to make. I could either be honest and write ¨marriage¨, or lie and write something else. All sorts of things went through my mind. I pictured myself in front of the immigrations office, and what would he do when he finds out that I want to get married on a tourist visa? I thought about Eliana waiting at the airport, and wishing so much to see me, but I am detained by immigrations until I am eventually sent back to the United States, and how hard that would be on Eliana and I. All that might sound strange, but those were my fears, and it was very real to me. I had to make a choice to take things into my own hands, and sin, and in my own mind I would then have a better chance of getting through immigrations to Eliana. Or I could write ¨marriage¨, and put everything in Gods hands, and know that He is in control. And that is what I did, I wrote ¨marriage¨ in the line. And while standing in line for immigrations, I was really nervous, but you know what happened? The immigrations officer asked no questions, but stamped my visa, and sent me through. It turned out that I never needed a special document or visa, and that I could get married on a tourist visa.
All the times I have lied, those were opportunities that God gave me, but I failed. Those were opportunities to trust God, but I chose to take things into my own hands. But this time was different, and I did not give in to the temptation, even when the stakes were so high. God does not allow us to be tempted with more that we can handle. God gives us a way out of all temptations. And my way out of this tempation was to write ¨marriage¨, and let God have control. And because I trusted God, my faith became greater, because I saw how God helped me. God is trustworthy. Although He may allow us to go through difficult situations, He will not forsake us. Although we may see no trace of Him, He is there, and in control.
p.s. Jesus Christ was obedient even to the cross. He knew that God wanted him to die for peoples sin, and so Jesus went willingly to the cross to be executed. I wonder how many times satan whispered in his ear ¨you know, you don´t have to do this¨. Jesus Christ experienced temptation, and I imagine so much more than we will ever experience. But Jesus always stood strong in the face of temptation, and never sinned. People made fun of Jesus because He said He was the Son of God, but when He was hanging on the cross, He did not use His power to bring Himself down. Jesus said that there were armies of Angels ready to fight for Him. I think that when the Angels saw the King of Kings crucified on a cross, they were dressed for battle. But Jesus never gave the order to fight. If Jesus had not died on the cross, we could not be forgiven, because our punishment would not have been taken. But Jesus died on the cross. He was obedient all the way to the end, and accomplished what He came to accomplish.
Monday, March 24, 2008
We´re back
This game is used with sheets, and a team has to use the sheet to throw a water balloon over the net, and the other team has to catch it with their sheet. We were playing the youngest team, and we had launched some balloons so far that they couldn´t catch them, so we were happy about that. But then we launched one that didn´t even get over the net, and that is why we were laughing.
Eliana speaking to the youth.
I don´t know how many games of volleyball I played.
Playing goalie. I´m not good at it. We lost.
A relay foot race.
This race looks too difficult for me.
Kayla in the river. She is a very sweet girl.
Me with nephew Gabriel.
Eliana speaking to the youth.
We are back from the campout. Although we had a good time, we are glad to be back, and be able to sleep in a bed again. Between 60 and 70 people were there from various churches, but most were from our church. Every morning we were up at 6:00 a.m., except most slept in a little longer on the last day. There was a river nearby, and so that is where we could swim or bath. That area gets a lot of rain, and the river kept getting more and more water. It was only probably 3 feet deep, but the current was so strong, I didn´t want to try to cross it. We stayed in the calmer spots. We played a lot of games. We played soccer, volleyball, had foot races, etc. And also everyday there was time set up for Bible study, and prayer and worship. Also everyday there was new Bible verses to memorize. There was 4 different age groups, and usually everyone broke up into those groups for Bible studies. One of the things that the groups studied was the life of Jacob, and then there was a competition between the groups, and they were asked questions, and the youngest group won.
There were all sorts of different people at the campout. Some people that were really interested in growing spiritually, and others who were not interested. There is a group of 3 girls between the ages of 15 and 16, and to me they really stood out. For their age, they seem to have such a hunger to grow spiritually, and to know God more. And I think their lives are a witness to that. I think they help each other, and encourage each other, and that is one of the reasons how God has worked so much in their lives.
There were all sorts of different people at the campout. Some people that were really interested in growing spiritually, and others who were not interested. There is a group of 3 girls between the ages of 15 and 16, and to me they really stood out. For their age, they seem to have such a hunger to grow spiritually, and to know God more. And I think their lives are a witness to that. I think they help each other, and encourage each other, and that is one of the reasons how God has worked so much in their lives.
One thing I have realized is that it is not easy to search for truth, and to know God more. Not only in my own life, but I believe that to be true in everyones life who is truly wanting to grow spiritually and to please God. Although in cartoons, satan is shown as a creature that really is not so bad. But satan really exists, and he is against God, and against any person, especially those that wish to know God, because those people are a threat to him. satan wishes that as many people as possible go to Hell, and so he is always working to harden peoples hearts so that they are not willing to accept the gift of salvation. He wants people to love sin, and to never turn away from it. He does not want anyone to ask God for help, but wants everyone to live independant lives, and have no need for God. I believe God is able to help those who truly want His help. Anyways, I want to say that those who are truly seeking God; satan is there to fight against them. And that is why I say it is not easy to seek God, and to search for truth. A person that wants a heart that is pure and good, that is exactly what satan is against, and he will fight against you with the hope that you will give up. But God is greater than satan, and with His help, we can have victory over satans attacks and lies. Another thing I want to say is that all Christians struggle with temptation, and I want you to know that what you are struggling with is not something that only you struggle with. But it is something that is common in the lives of Christians. satan likes to tempt Christians to sin, but we are no longer slaves to sin. Sin no longer has control over us, but the Bible says that when we are tempted, God always gives us a way out. God is always there, and gives us an opportunity to have victory of the temptation. But I know how hard it is to have victory over many temptations, and to fall in them time and again. And I am glad for Gods grace, because He forgives me. But because He forgives me, that does not give me freedom to sin. The truth is that God has changed me so that I do not like sin. And I think that the sin in my life is becoming less and less because God continues to change me. And God is able to work in my life because I want Him to do it, and I ask Him to do it.
I read something about the apostle Paul in the Bible. It was about the book of 2 Timothy, which was a letter that Paul wrote to another Christian named Timothy. Paul wrote that letter when He was in prison in Rome, and is possibly the last letter that Paul wrote before he was killed. It does not say in the Bible how Paul was killed, but other writings say He was executed in Rome. One of the things that Paul wrote was that he has fought the good fight, and he has kept the faith. What a wonderful thing to be able to say at the end of your life. ¨I have kept the faith¨. What is more important in this life? Paul wanted to please God, and his faith brought him through any difficulties that came his way. Ship wrecks, being whipped various times, almost stoned to death, cursed by God knows how many people. But Paul kept going, and it cost him everything. Imprisoned in Rome, it cost him his freedom. He could no longer visit the churches that he started and loved so much. It cost him his possessions. He didn´t even have a shawl to keep him warm. And in the end, it seems it even cost him his life.
Paul had courage, and he was not ashamed of Jesus Christ. After his conversion, he spent his life telling people about Jesus Christ. I read a tshirt that said ¨courage is being one step ahead of fear¨. I don´t know if I believe that. I think that true courage comes from faith, and knowing that God is in control, and whatever happens, God is there with us. Knowing that even if we die, it is ok because we have eternal life with God.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Great Lemon
Your probably wondering what is in the picture. The small one is a lemon that is sold in Lima. That is what we always buy, and I am not sure if they have bigger ones here. Its about the size of a golfball. Elianas parents just got back from visiting some churches in the Amazon jungle. They got some lemons from a tree there, and that is what is shown in the picture. A huge lemon from the jungle.
In other news, Eliana and I are doing well. Tomorrow we are going camping with about 50 or more people from our church, and another church. We visited the campsite about a week ago, and its really beautiful there. Here is the big city of Lima, its really dry, and theres not really anything green unless it is watered. But we are camping by a village that sits in a valley between mountains, and a river runs through there, and its really beautiful. We will all be sleeping in tents, about 100 yards from a river. We will be there for 4 nights. I am really excited to get away from the city. After growing up in Kansas and being able to see for miles, and then 2 years in Alaska, and then some time with my parents in Iowa, I really miss that kind of country. But it took me moving to a big city to realize that it really was a blessing to grow up in those types of places. I remember running around the neighborhood with my friends, or playing football in a nearby lot, or riding my dirtbike to so many places. I´ve hiked a lot of mountains in Alaska, and seen so many beautiful things there. I´ve experienced so much that the kids here have never experienced, and will probably never experience. I have been very blessed. I can´t wait to take Eliana to the United States, and show her my country, and where I am from.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Isaiah 53
I want to write some things about this chapter in the Bible. I had been thinking about one of the verses (verse 10), but then I read the entire chapter, and so I wanted to write about most of the chapter. This is from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was one of Gods prophets, and basicly that means that God spoke through him to the people. But what may surprise you is this book was written approximately 700 years before Christ. But these words prophesized about what would happen in the future when the Christ (Jesus) was there. So now we not only have those words, but we live in a time when Christ has already came and gone, and we now see that this prophesy came true. This is one of the many prophecies in the Old Testament which spoke about the coming ¨Messiah¨, which when translated means ¨God with us¨. And Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Anyways, I wish to speak about these verses in Isaiah. My words are in blue. The verses are from the New International Version Bible.
1 Who would have believed what we heard?
Who saw the Lord's power in this?
2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord,
like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him;
there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.
It says that he had no special beautiful, and nothing in his appearance to make us desire him. When people saw Jesus (his body) they did not see anything different, or anything that made him stand out from others. But I know from reading in the New Testament (the part of the Bible written after Jesus was here) that when Jesus spoke, people saw something different. When Jesus spoke, even those who were against him saw that there was something special in him. They would say, ¨he speaks with such authority!¨. He never spoke with any doubt, or twisted his words so that he would be more liked by the people. He spoke what His Father in Heaven told him to speak.
3 He was hated and rejected by people.
He had much pain and suffering.
People would not even look at him.
He was hated, and we didn't even notice him.
Jesus knows how it is to be hated. Many people hated him because of the healings and miracles that he performed, and because of the message that He spoke. When He spoke, He put himself on the same level with God. And that angered many people, especially the Pharisee´s who were proud persons who liked to look religious in peoples eyes, but their hearts were rotten. These ¨religious¨people wanted to kill Jesus for a long time, and finally Jesus was arrested, and crucified. But it was our sins that put him on the cross. I would like to say, it was those evil people who told lies about Jesus, and spoke to the leaders in the government, and got him tortured and executed. But Jesus knew all along that he was going to be killed, and he told that to his followers. Jesus went to the cross willingly because it was Gods will for him, and to die for our sins.
4 But he took our suffering on him
and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him.
He took our suffering on him. Our suffering is what we all deserve, because we have all sinned. But he took our suffering, and felt our pain. He felt the pain for us. He felt the pain that we deserved. Jesus did not die because he did something wrong. Jesus died because we did something wrong. And that continues in the next verse where it says that he was wounded for the wrong we did, and crushed for the evil we did.
5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
and we are healed because of his wounds.
The punishment that made us well was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. The only reason that anyone is saved is because of what Christ did. His death was our gain. Because he died for our sins, we now have a way of having our sins forgiven. We are healed because he took our punishment and received the pain that otherwise would have been given to us.
6 We all have wandered away like sheep;
each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
for all the evil we have done.
Everyone has done evil and wandered away, God put the punishment on His Son, Jesus Christ.
All of us, like sheep, have wandered away. God is our shepherd, but we have wandered away from Him. And because we have done evil and wandered away, God put the punishment on His Son, Jesus Christ.
7 He was beaten down and punished,
but he didn't say a word.
He was like a lamb being led to be killed.
He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut;
he never opened his mouth.
After Jesus was arrested, he stood before different leaders, both government leaders and religious leaders. And He never asked to be released because He knew His death would allow people to be forgiven.
8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly.
He died without children to continue his family.
He was put to death;
he was punished for the sins of my people.
9 He was buried with wicked men,
and he died with the rich.
He had done nothing wrong,
and he had never lied.
10 But it was the Lord who decided
to crush him and make him suffer.
The Lord made his life a penalty offering,
but he will still see his descendants and live a long life.
He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.
But it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer. Well first of all, why would crushing his only Son be in Gods plan? Well I want to answer that question, but to start somewhere before Christs execution. It is when Jesus is in a place with his disciples (not all his disciples, because one was betraying him at that very moment, and leading those that hated Jesus to that place to arrest him). Jesus is praying. He is asking God, ¨Please take this cup from me, but only if it is Your will¨. (Matthew chapter 26) But here is the question, what is in the cup? I don´t think Christ was actually holding a cup, so what was he talking about? And here is what I think was in the cup. It was the wrath of God, and it was Gods will that His Son drank it all. Thats a pretty hard statement, but I believe it to be completely true. Jesus Christ prayed that if God would do it and if it was His will, that he would not have to drink that cup. But Christ said ¨but take it away only it you will¨. I think that Jesus Christ experienced something on the cross more than being tortured by men, or the pain of nails in his hands and feet, and more than the pain of humiliation and being cursed. To be honest I do not think that Jesus was afraid of all that. The same time he was asking God to take the cup away from him if He willed, Jesus also told some of his disciples that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. I think he was so sad (even to the point of death) because he was thinking about the cup that he must drink. Christ would soon carry the sin of the world, and die for it. God would take his wrath out on Jesus, His Son! Christ, the one who was without sin, would be punished for the sins of others. When Jesus Christ was on the cross, He said ¨Father, why do you forsake me?¨. I believe that caused Jesus more hurt than the physical pain of a thousand crucificixions. His Father, whom he had always been in communion with, whom he had always been connected to. That communion and connection was cut off. Jesus Christ did not just feel that he was being forsaken or abandoned by God, but that actually happened when He was on the cross. Jesus Christ was carrying our sin! My sin! Your sin! And when I say ¨your sin¨ I hope you stop and think about that. But God is a holy God, and wants nothing to do with sin. And when God sees that Jesus is carrying our sin, He must turn his back to His Son. He forsakes him. Wow. You know, I do not think we will ever understand the pain and suffering that Christ went through for us. Not in this world, or for all eternity. I do not think we will ever comprehend it.
11 "After his soul suffers many things,
he will see life and be satisfied.
My good servant will make many people right with God;
he will carry away their sins.
After Christ suffered and died, he rose again after 3 days, and soon returned to His Father in Heaven. This good servant (Christ is also called the suffering servant) will make many people right with God, and that is exactly what Jesus does. He makes people right with God. People do not make themselves right with God by living a good life, or having less sin than others. People are made right with God by what Jesus did on the cross. There is a path that leads to God, and in that path there is a gate, and that gate is Jesus Christ. He stands in the way of the Father, and you must go through him. Why? Because it is under no other name that a person is saved. Because there is only one that carries away sins, and that is Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people,
and he will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life
and was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people
and asked forgiveness for those who sinned."
Christ died willingly. He was not forced to do it. He was treated like a criminal. Jesus Christ was crucified with two criminals. He asked forgiveness for those who sinned. While on the cross, Jesus Christ asked His Father to forgive these people, because they do not know what they do. And what were they doing? They were killing Gods Holy Son, although they did not actually believe that He was the Son of God. They thought of Him as a criminal, and that he was a lier.
I did not speak about every verse because I would be repeating myself, or for some of the verses, I do not completely understand them, and so I do not want to speak about what I don´t understand. The words of the Bible are revealed to a Christian over a lifetime, and God will be teaching me more about things in the future.
But I want to say a few more things. A person that is not forgiven by God, there punishment is for all eternity. Whether you go to hell or heaven, you will always exist. And if you do not receive Gods forgiveness, than that place is hell. You know, I think about that, and all the people in Hell who are suffering, and that suffering will continue forever and ever. In the Bible, Hell is described is the placed of ¨weeping and gnashing of teeth¨. I know a person is separated from God there, and for all eternity.
The Bible says that great is the path that leads to destruction but narrow is the path that leads to eternal life. That means that the path is big that leads to hell and many follow that path, and narrow is the path that leads to God in Heaven, and it is traveled by few. Christ has died for our sins, but I know that not everyone will be forgiven. But I am not going to now tell you to repeat a prayer, and then say that if you repeat that prayer, you will be saved. Because God knows your heart, and that is what matters. God knows if your words are not from the heart. Here is what I hope you are feeling right now. I hope that you feel convicted of your sin. And if you are feeling convicted, then that is from God. And I hope you are tired of the life you are living, and you want a change. I hope you are wanting to turn away from sin, and have a new life with God. But here is what I would like for you to do. I urge you to go to a place where you are a lone, and speak to God there, because He is listening. But remember that salvation can only come from God because His Son Jesus Christ died for you. It takes a humbled heart to know that we can´t save ourselves. Please go speak to God about this, about your sin, and about HIS salvation.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 Who would have believed what we heard?
Who saw the Lord's power in this?
2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord,
like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him;
there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.
It says that he had no special beautiful, and nothing in his appearance to make us desire him. When people saw Jesus (his body) they did not see anything different, or anything that made him stand out from others. But I know from reading in the New Testament (the part of the Bible written after Jesus was here) that when Jesus spoke, people saw something different. When Jesus spoke, even those who were against him saw that there was something special in him. They would say, ¨he speaks with such authority!¨. He never spoke with any doubt, or twisted his words so that he would be more liked by the people. He spoke what His Father in Heaven told him to speak.
3 He was hated and rejected by people.
He had much pain and suffering.
People would not even look at him.
He was hated, and we didn't even notice him.
Jesus knows how it is to be hated. Many people hated him because of the healings and miracles that he performed, and because of the message that He spoke. When He spoke, He put himself on the same level with God. And that angered many people, especially the Pharisee´s who were proud persons who liked to look religious in peoples eyes, but their hearts were rotten. These ¨religious¨people wanted to kill Jesus for a long time, and finally Jesus was arrested, and crucified. But it was our sins that put him on the cross. I would like to say, it was those evil people who told lies about Jesus, and spoke to the leaders in the government, and got him tortured and executed. But Jesus knew all along that he was going to be killed, and he told that to his followers. Jesus went to the cross willingly because it was Gods will for him, and to die for our sins.
4 But he took our suffering on him
and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him.
He took our suffering on him. Our suffering is what we all deserve, because we have all sinned. But he took our suffering, and felt our pain. He felt the pain for us. He felt the pain that we deserved. Jesus did not die because he did something wrong. Jesus died because we did something wrong. And that continues in the next verse where it says that he was wounded for the wrong we did, and crushed for the evil we did.
5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
and we are healed because of his wounds.
The punishment that made us well was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. The only reason that anyone is saved is because of what Christ did. His death was our gain. Because he died for our sins, we now have a way of having our sins forgiven. We are healed because he took our punishment and received the pain that otherwise would have been given to us.
6 We all have wandered away like sheep;
each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
for all the evil we have done.
Everyone has done evil and wandered away, God put the punishment on His Son, Jesus Christ.
All of us, like sheep, have wandered away. God is our shepherd, but we have wandered away from Him. And because we have done evil and wandered away, God put the punishment on His Son, Jesus Christ.
7 He was beaten down and punished,
but he didn't say a word.
He was like a lamb being led to be killed.
He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut;
he never opened his mouth.
After Jesus was arrested, he stood before different leaders, both government leaders and religious leaders. And He never asked to be released because He knew His death would allow people to be forgiven.
8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly.
He died without children to continue his family.
He was put to death;
he was punished for the sins of my people.
9 He was buried with wicked men,
and he died with the rich.
He had done nothing wrong,
and he had never lied.
10 But it was the Lord who decided
to crush him and make him suffer.
The Lord made his life a penalty offering,
but he will still see his descendants and live a long life.
He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.
But it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer. Well first of all, why would crushing his only Son be in Gods plan? Well I want to answer that question, but to start somewhere before Christs execution. It is when Jesus is in a place with his disciples (not all his disciples, because one was betraying him at that very moment, and leading those that hated Jesus to that place to arrest him). Jesus is praying. He is asking God, ¨Please take this cup from me, but only if it is Your will¨. (Matthew chapter 26) But here is the question, what is in the cup? I don´t think Christ was actually holding a cup, so what was he talking about? And here is what I think was in the cup. It was the wrath of God, and it was Gods will that His Son drank it all. Thats a pretty hard statement, but I believe it to be completely true. Jesus Christ prayed that if God would do it and if it was His will, that he would not have to drink that cup. But Christ said ¨but take it away only it you will¨. I think that Jesus Christ experienced something on the cross more than being tortured by men, or the pain of nails in his hands and feet, and more than the pain of humiliation and being cursed. To be honest I do not think that Jesus was afraid of all that. The same time he was asking God to take the cup away from him if He willed, Jesus also told some of his disciples that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. I think he was so sad (even to the point of death) because he was thinking about the cup that he must drink. Christ would soon carry the sin of the world, and die for it. God would take his wrath out on Jesus, His Son! Christ, the one who was without sin, would be punished for the sins of others. When Jesus Christ was on the cross, He said ¨Father, why do you forsake me?¨. I believe that caused Jesus more hurt than the physical pain of a thousand crucificixions. His Father, whom he had always been in communion with, whom he had always been connected to. That communion and connection was cut off. Jesus Christ did not just feel that he was being forsaken or abandoned by God, but that actually happened when He was on the cross. Jesus Christ was carrying our sin! My sin! Your sin! And when I say ¨your sin¨ I hope you stop and think about that. But God is a holy God, and wants nothing to do with sin. And when God sees that Jesus is carrying our sin, He must turn his back to His Son. He forsakes him. Wow. You know, I do not think we will ever understand the pain and suffering that Christ went through for us. Not in this world, or for all eternity. I do not think we will ever comprehend it.
11 "After his soul suffers many things,
he will see life and be satisfied.
My good servant will make many people right with God;
he will carry away their sins.
After Christ suffered and died, he rose again after 3 days, and soon returned to His Father in Heaven. This good servant (Christ is also called the suffering servant) will make many people right with God, and that is exactly what Jesus does. He makes people right with God. People do not make themselves right with God by living a good life, or having less sin than others. People are made right with God by what Jesus did on the cross. There is a path that leads to God, and in that path there is a gate, and that gate is Jesus Christ. He stands in the way of the Father, and you must go through him. Why? Because it is under no other name that a person is saved. Because there is only one that carries away sins, and that is Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people,
and he will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life
and was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people
and asked forgiveness for those who sinned."
Christ died willingly. He was not forced to do it. He was treated like a criminal. Jesus Christ was crucified with two criminals. He asked forgiveness for those who sinned. While on the cross, Jesus Christ asked His Father to forgive these people, because they do not know what they do. And what were they doing? They were killing Gods Holy Son, although they did not actually believe that He was the Son of God. They thought of Him as a criminal, and that he was a lier.
I did not speak about every verse because I would be repeating myself, or for some of the verses, I do not completely understand them, and so I do not want to speak about what I don´t understand. The words of the Bible are revealed to a Christian over a lifetime, and God will be teaching me more about things in the future.
But I want to say a few more things. A person that is not forgiven by God, there punishment is for all eternity. Whether you go to hell or heaven, you will always exist. And if you do not receive Gods forgiveness, than that place is hell. You know, I think about that, and all the people in Hell who are suffering, and that suffering will continue forever and ever. In the Bible, Hell is described is the placed of ¨weeping and gnashing of teeth¨. I know a person is separated from God there, and for all eternity.
The Bible says that great is the path that leads to destruction but narrow is the path that leads to eternal life. That means that the path is big that leads to hell and many follow that path, and narrow is the path that leads to God in Heaven, and it is traveled by few. Christ has died for our sins, but I know that not everyone will be forgiven. But I am not going to now tell you to repeat a prayer, and then say that if you repeat that prayer, you will be saved. Because God knows your heart, and that is what matters. God knows if your words are not from the heart. Here is what I hope you are feeling right now. I hope that you feel convicted of your sin. And if you are feeling convicted, then that is from God. And I hope you are tired of the life you are living, and you want a change. I hope you are wanting to turn away from sin, and have a new life with God. But here is what I would like for you to do. I urge you to go to a place where you are a lone, and speak to God there, because He is listening. But remember that salvation can only come from God because His Son Jesus Christ died for you. It takes a humbled heart to know that we can´t save ourselves. Please go speak to God about this, about your sin, and about HIS salvation.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Carnet
After 2 months of paperwork and documents, my husband finally received his Peru identification. We are indeed very happy for that. Tim said that everything that we had to do and the different things that we had to make was a test of our patience, and it really bettered our patience and trust in God.
Good, I wish to share with you a song called ¨Hosanna in the Highest¨ by Hillsong. I am posting both the video and lyrics.
**********Letter**********
I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
Yeeeah
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing
[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest x2
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees
[Chorus]
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I walk from nothing to Eternity
[Chorus] x2
Hosanna in the highest
Good, I wish to share with you a song called ¨Hosanna in the Highest¨ by Hillsong. I am posting both the video and lyrics.
**********Letter**********
I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
Yeeeah
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing
[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest x2
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees
[Chorus]
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I walk from nothing to Eternity
[Chorus] x2
Hosanna in the highest
Monday, February 18, 2008
A testimony from Paul Washer
I was wanting to listen to a sermon on youtube.com so I wrote the word ¨sermon¨ and did a search and the first one that came up was one from Paul Washer. I sounds like a lot of poeple don´t like his sermons, and I think one message in particular upset a lot of people. But I listened to a few of his sermons, and I really liked them. I think he is a man that knows God, and will speak Gods word, even if it costs him everything. Here is a testimony from him, and he is speaking about his own life. He is very thankful for what Jesus did for him.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A fun day
Today we and a bunch of the younger people in the family went to a recreation place. It was nice to get away, because I miss the open country that I am used to in the United States. Here in Lima about everything is concrete, and that is all I see. But this recreation place had lots of grass, and open space, and it was really nice. First thing we did was go swimming. I should have put sunscreen on before I did that, because I got burned. After that we all found a shaded spot in the grass, and had a picnic (we had brought food). After that a lot of us split up, and Eliana and I went with David (he was the youngest). Before long we came across a dirt track, and there was small ATV´s for kids. So I was glad to see that, and I wanted David to get on one, and he was very happy to do it. And that is what is in the photo, David on his ATV. A lot of people went slow, but he went fast. I saw him going pretty fast, and he took one of his hands off the handlebars, and was reaching for something in his pocket or something, and he swerved, and about hit the fence. And then when his ride was over, he came in a little fast, and almost went head on into the fence, but luckily someone was there to get him stopped in time. And I think it was just a little wood fence without any tires in that spot, so it wouldn´t take much to go through it. After that, we went to see some animals, because they had a small zoo. Then we went to a playground for a little bit, and then played some volleyball. And then we were ready to leave, because we were all hot. But it was a good day, and I think Eliana and I will be resting for the rest of the day.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
An anniversary celebration in the church
In a past post, Eliana wrote that they were practicing a song for the celebration tonight at the church, and here is the video of them singing. Eliana is about in the middle, and behind everyone. P.S., the photo above is of them after the lights were turned off, and they were blowing out the candles on the cake.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Un DÃa
Today was a difficult day. In the morning, my husband and I went to see about some documents that are getting approved in Peru. Tim has his resident visa, but now we are going through the process of getting him his Peru identification. We have not completed everything, and I do not know when it will end. In the morning, we were in that place and a person in charge told me we had to make another payment and then complete other documents for the file, and after that we had to wait a few days and then we needed to return to that place.
After being in that place, I felt annoyed and disappointed, but my husband told me that all this was a test of patience and I think it was and I know I did not score well on the test. But I know that through that I will learn to be more patient with those people, but I need a lot of help from God to have a good experience there, and not to leave disappointed every time I am there.
After we were there, we went to a place to have lunch and it was good to be away from that place, and in a restaurant, although the food was not very good, but we managed to rest a little and then we were ready to move forward on the things we had to do. We then went to a place to buy some pens that some people in the church were wanting for the anniversary of the department of youth and adolescents in the church. The church sent us with some money to buy the pens, and then to have some words printed onto the pens. We bought 100 pens and they will have written IEPP – Valle Alto – EE.CC. These are abbreviations for the name of the church and the department of youth and adolescents. Thank God our time there was calm.
Then we returned home and rested a little. Then my husband went to teach an english class in the church. He and Virginia are teachers. And while my husband is in the english class, I am going to cook dinner... spaghetti with red sauce.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Today
Hello, I hope that your day was good and calm.
Today, thank God, my husband and I had a good day, but during the morning it was difficult when I was thinking about all the things I needed to do. That made my mood begin to change because I thought my day would be difficult. But then something happened and that was in response to the help that I asked of God. I knew that the only thing I could do is to pray to God and ask for help for a few minutes. Then everything started to change. My husband was having difficulty with his back this morning, but then he started to feel better. I had joy to cook a meal called "LOMO SALTADO" I did not think that it would be very good, but my husband told me that it was very delicious:). We then went to clean the church and that is a big job, but thank God our time there was good and we finished cleaning the church and then returned home to get ready to return to the church again, because there was a youth meeting.
My father spoke in the church and preached about what God did for us, and that He freed us from our sins with the precious blood of Christ and that made us kings and priests to serve God the Father, and that is in 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Revelation 1:6
Good, after the youth meeting we stayed for more than 1 hour to rehearse a song for the day Saturday, February 16, because that´s the anniversary of the youth department in the church and we were rehearsing a song called "Open Your Eyes and Look, the Harvest is Ready."
That song is very beautiful and the lyrics have a special meaning. My husband learned some of the words and was singing a bit with the youth. That was only the first rehearsal of the song and everything went very beautifully and tomorrow night after the service, we will do a second rehearsal of the song and then everything will be ready for Saturday. I asked my husband if he would be able to take some pictures and record a video of them singing the song, because I want to put it on our blog.
Today, thank God, my husband and I had a good day, but during the morning it was difficult when I was thinking about all the things I needed to do. That made my mood begin to change because I thought my day would be difficult. But then something happened and that was in response to the help that I asked of God. I knew that the only thing I could do is to pray to God and ask for help for a few minutes. Then everything started to change. My husband was having difficulty with his back this morning, but then he started to feel better. I had joy to cook a meal called "LOMO SALTADO" I did not think that it would be very good, but my husband told me that it was very delicious:). We then went to clean the church and that is a big job, but thank God our time there was good and we finished cleaning the church and then returned home to get ready to return to the church again, because there was a youth meeting.
My father spoke in the church and preached about what God did for us, and that He freed us from our sins with the precious blood of Christ and that made us kings and priests to serve God the Father, and that is in 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Revelation 1:6
Good, after the youth meeting we stayed for more than 1 hour to rehearse a song for the day Saturday, February 16, because that´s the anniversary of the youth department in the church and we were rehearsing a song called "Open Your Eyes and Look, the Harvest is Ready."
That song is very beautiful and the lyrics have a special meaning. My husband learned some of the words and was singing a bit with the youth. That was only the first rehearsal of the song and everything went very beautifully and tomorrow night after the service, we will do a second rehearsal of the song and then everything will be ready for Saturday. I asked my husband if he would be able to take some pictures and record a video of them singing the song, because I want to put it on our blog.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A photo of us at the border of Chile.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Our trip to Chile
My husband and I left Lima on Monday, January 28 at 2:00 p.m., and we knew that the bus ride to Tacna, Peru would last 18 hours, and we would arrive on the 29th at 9:00 p.m., but I did not imagine that the trip would be so hard and tiring. But when we were on the bus, we played a bingo game. The winner of the game got a prize or a free ticket to return to Lima. A woman who works on the bus gave us all bingo cards, and we started to play the game, and really I did not know how to play the game because I had never played it before, but I quickly caught on. During the game, Tims card was soon missing only a few numbers, and then his card had all the numbers, and that was a great surprise, because Tims card was the winner, and we got a prize.... a free return ticket to Lima. It was very surprising and we were both very happy about what happened.
Well, I was nervous arriving at Tacna because I had never been there, and we had no idea what would happen when we got off the bus. When we got off the bus, I heard a man saying ¨Arica, Chile¨, and so I asked him if he was going there, and he said yes, and helped us to get our luggage. He was a taxi driver. When we arrived at the border between Peru and Chile, we did not have any problems, and were able to enter Chile.
Arica is a very quiet and beautiful city. The ocean is near, and so we wanted to go to the beach for a little bit, but we did not have time after going through the procedures to collect Tims resident visa. When we finished, we had to go back to a place in Arica to get a taxi to take us to Tacna. And then we saw the same man that helped us earlier that day, and so he took us back to Tacna. We were glad to have everything done, and be ready to return to Lima, and so we went and had to buy just one ticket to return to Lima.
Although the return trip was much more exhausting, thanks to God that we were able to return to Lima well, and also thank you for your prayers.
Well, I was nervous arriving at Tacna because I had never been there, and we had no idea what would happen when we got off the bus. When we got off the bus, I heard a man saying ¨Arica, Chile¨, and so I asked him if he was going there, and he said yes, and helped us to get our luggage. He was a taxi driver. When we arrived at the border between Peru and Chile, we did not have any problems, and were able to enter Chile.
Arica is a very quiet and beautiful city. The ocean is near, and so we wanted to go to the beach for a little bit, but we did not have time after going through the procedures to collect Tims resident visa. When we finished, we had to go back to a place in Arica to get a taxi to take us to Tacna. And then we saw the same man that helped us earlier that day, and so he took us back to Tacna. We were glad to have everything done, and be ready to return to Lima, and so we went and had to buy just one ticket to return to Lima.
Although the return trip was much more exhausting, thanks to God that we were able to return to Lima well, and also thank you for your prayers.
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