Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Doing the Impossible

As I begin let me admit that, yes, some things are impossible. As a true blooded Texan that is hard for me to say, but it is true. The Lone Star state was built by people who believed they could make something out of sand dunes and prairie grass and the funny thing is they suceeded. True, they had to raise sheep and goats rather than cattle and today many ranchers in West Texas make more from leasing their land for deer hunting than anything else, but a little flexibility goes a long way to overcoming obstacles.

I have noticed through the years though that many people don't have this attitude. I'm thinking particularly among brethren. You know him (or her)--no matter what is suggested they quickly trot out all the reasons it can't be done or why it will fail, even if you can do it. I am confronted frequently with such brethren and it's amazing how much some spend telling you why it can't be done, and more especially why they can't do it. Such pessimism simply feeds upon itself--since nothing can be done, why even try? We hear, "Nobody wants to hear the Gospel today" or "Nobody cares about 'truth' nowadays". Believing this what few efforts they make to talk to others are half-hearted or their lack of confidence is so obvious that they make no progress, which only reinforces them in their belief that "nobody cares about God"--you fill in the blank with "today" or "in this area", etc. Such attitudes can stifle a church really fast, leading to a slow death in many churches.

On the other hand there are brethren who live in a fantasy world, where anything can be done. If you're over the age of 25 you've probably figured out this world is not real--there are way too many people who seem to think their purpose in life is to stand in your way. Customer service is variable once you leave the South. When we first moved to the Caribbean I used to argue with cashiers at KFC--"why can't I have fries instead of mashed potatoes?" but soon learned it was futile. If the picture shows mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, that's all you can get, period. Yes, some things are impossible--in my humble opinion food choices shouldn't be one of them, but what do I know?

Brethren, if we would spend as much time thinking about how something could be done as some do in finding/making up reasons it can't be done I think we would be amazed at what the Lord can do through us. Yes, anything worth doing is likely to be hard, or at least have hurdles to overcome, but with the Lord's help we can do it. The apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh that was a hindrance to his work. He begged the Lord 3 times to heal him, but the Lord's reply was "my grace is sufficient for you". Rather than spend his time lamenting what he couldn't do because of his "thorn", or always looking back at what he used to do "before he had the thorn" Paul relied on God and found ways to overcome it.

There is a world of people who need salvation--what are you doing to reach them? Yes, it is impossible to save everyone--they won't let you, but some of them can be saved. "But I've tried, and it hasn't worked." If one method hasn't worked, then sit down and think about what might work, then give it a try. Gospel meetings in most places in the States don't bring many non-Christians out to hear the Gospel anymore. I believe Gospel meetings serve a very valuable purpose--strengthening and encouraging the local church, if nothing else, but if they don't serve as a point of contact with non-Christians then we need to think about what will.

Instead of lamenting over what doesn't work, don't give up--sit down and think. Certainly the things some churches do are wrong--unscriptural and we can't follow in their footsteps, even if they "seem" to work. The wrong road will not take you to where you want to go, no matter how easy it seems to be. But there are things that we can do--talk to others, brainstorm, in short look for ways around the obstacles, don't just give up because there are obstacles.

Tol

Monday, June 08, 2009

A Beautiful Facade

A couple of weeks ago the brethren in San Pedro de Macoris put us up in the Hotel Macorix. It's an imposing structure and the entrance is what you would expect of a grand hotel--a wide lobby with a marble floor, massive dark wood reception counter, 3-4 bellboys standing around. It opens up on to the olympic size swimming pool and on the other side a view of the ocean.

As you continue inside you see the grand staircase with the same dark wood bannister, but there is also an elevator just beyond that. Our room was nicely furnished with rattan furniture; 2 beds, small table and 2 chairs and sliding glass doors that overlook the Malecon and the sea. But don't look too closely now: the sliding glass doors don't meet the wall on either side and the only light is a small lamp that won't work. The bathroom floor had a stash of hair in one corner, the counter top has cigarette burns, the door has lost most of its stain. One the ceiling tiles is missing and the one next to it is not on the grids, etc. This is a hotel that has been, but is no longer in vogue. The factories are closed now and the new, all-inclusive resorts are 30-40 miles down the road.

This hotel reminded me of the church in Sardis--"you have a name that you live, but are dead". Haven't you been in some of those church buildings? The facade is impressive, usually along classical lines, with 5-10 steps up to the grand entrance. As you enter the lobby you can see the plush carpet in the auditorium as well as the many pews. As the brethre begin to arrive it becomes apparent that this church is not what it used to be--less than half of the pews are used, there are few younger people and even less children. There was a time when the building was full and bustling--children running, babies crying, brethren visiting, but now it is quiet. You don't need the gift of prophecy to see where this church is heading. It may have been very active in years gone by and may still be supporting a number of preachers, but it is well down the road to disappearance.

There is another type of church that seems to be alive, but is really dead. This one may not be so imposing and at first glance you don't realize that it's dead or dying. They probably began as a small group, perhaps having to leave another congregation when they left God's plan. Little by little they have built up, always standing for the truth and have grown large enough to have an adequate bulding, support a preacher, etc. There is lots of activity but it produces little spiritual growth. Maybe the real emphasis is on social activities, maybe the Bible classes tend toward "intellectualism"--learning just for learning's sake, or maybe they're just going through the motions. It may take awhile, but eventually you realize they are just as dead as the more obvious ones.

Brethren, it is easy to become content and quit. The purpose of Bible study is to learn, then make application to our lives. Eph. 4 says the purpose of the spiritual gifts was to equip brethren for the work of service. If that purpose is not accomplished a church is somewhere along the road to death--sooner or later it must die.

Tol

Monday, May 18, 2009

A service of Thanksgiving

I arrived in the Dominican Republic yesterday at 3:45 and was outside with luggage in 5 minutes-a minor miracle. From there we traveled 30 minutes to Guerra, where one of the sisters was having a service of thanksgiving at her home. They were alreay singing when we arrived--between 65 & 70 people and after a couple of songs I preached to the group. Most of the brethren from Guerra (25 or so) were present, which means there were around 40 visitors, so my theme was the importance of knowing God´s Word, encouraging them to ask the local brethren for help. One of the "problems" here is that close to half of the older men can´t read but are ashamed to admit it, so anything that might reveal this "weakness" they shun. Studying the Bible can be very embarrasing because they are asked to read, so I dealt with that a little.

After the service was over all were served juice, snacks in a small styrofoam box and what you would think of as a birthday cake.

The ocasion for thanksgiving was the new block house the family had. The sister is probably in her mid 30's, with 3 small children. She is a widow--her husband was killed in a car wreck about 3 years ago, leaving her with no job, 3 babies, and a small wood house (in the VI wood houses are called temporary houses--the first hurricane will destroy them). The company he worked for had pity on her and began the construction of the concrete block house and neighbors & family helped with the labor, a few pesos, etc. and she now has a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with kitchen & living room (around 1000 square feet). She wanted to first thank God for her new home, then family & friends who helped, also taking advantage of the ocasion to let the Gospel be preached to them.

Tol

Monday, May 04, 2009

Going up to Glory

Yes, I was in Glory yesterday. I wasn't snatched up as the Apostol Paul was; we drove up the mountain to this neighborhood about 45 minutes from Ponce. It was glorious--the hills around us were lush & green with rain clouds on top. The yard of the house we were meeting had fruit trees, coffee trees and lots of flowers.

We had about 25 people for the service, including 10 or so from the church in Ponce. There are at least 7 brethren who live in this neighborhood who, although they have not regularly attended any congregation live "good" lives, read the Bible, etc. There are even more who didn't come--like everyone else today they "don't have time". Brethren from Ponce used to come up and "hold services" here, even though some of the brethren have been Christians for close to 30 years and most of them for more than 25. Yes, the brethren from La Gloria lead prayer, the Lord's table, perhaps a song but the preaching and teaching was done by those from Ponce.

I was told yesterday that they had not met together for 13 years--a few of them would go to Ponce from time to time to worship with the church there, but most didn't. How did a church like this get to the point that they just quit meeting? I don't know all the details, but it seems that they were dependent on those from Ponce, so when they stopped helping the work quit.

When Christians are new they need help, but as time passes they should mature to the point that they need less and less help. Too often though, brethren become dependent on others--brethren from another congregation, the preacher, etc. "They/he can preach much better than I can, so why should I try?" "I don't really know what to say to a non-Christian so I'll just let Brother _______ talk to them."

God commands each Christian to grow, to whatever level they can. If they don't grow, not only will the church not grow: it will eventually die.

Tol

Monday, April 20, 2009

Getting accustomed

The fact that we live in a city of 224,000 people, on the edge of two other cities that together total about the same limits the wildlife we see, even though we are in the Tropics. Because our house backs up to the drainage canal we do see iguanas fairly regularly, plus the smaller lizards that predominate on the islands. We hear a few water birds as well the coquis (tree frogs) but haven't seen many birds other than doves. About a month ago we started seeing a couple of bananaquits (the "yellow bird" of the well known Jamaican song), which was nice. They've since built their nest less than 5 feet from our front door. Dana was sure they wouldn't even complete the nest--after all it's right next to the front door, but they did and seem to preparing to raise a family.

I'm a little surprised they chose our house, but they don't have a lot of choices in this area. They seem to be accustomed to our coming and going--they don't leave the nest most of the time. Of course this could lead to their capture and/or death over time--the more they're in close proximity to people, the more accustomed they become. The more accustomed they are, the less they perceive the danger.

Lot was like the bananaquits--he moved his family into Sodom. 2 Pet. 2 tells us that he was a righteous man who was vexed by the wicked conduct of his neighbors. Rather than becoming accustomed to their immorality it disturbed him. One has to wonder about his family, particularly his wife. Did she become accustomed to these things, so that in spite of the angel's warning not to look back, she looked back anyway? And what about his daughters who decided the only to preserve their Father's seed was to get him drunk and sleep with him? His family became so accustomed to the immorality of their neighbors that they repeated it.

We live and work and study in an increasingly immoral society. Immorality that used to be "in the closet" is now paraded down the street, literally. In the interest of "not hurting anyone" society at large at least pretends that however people live is okay, "who am I to judge?" If we're not careful this attitude rubs off on us and rather than call sin what it is--sin, we choose to ignore it. While this may not affect us, it does affect others--others who are looking to you for moral guidance. There is no justification for crude, rude comments about the sins of others, but speaking out against such may be the only time some around you hear that such action is wrong. By keeping silent we assist in society getting accustomed to sin.

Tol

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Caesar and God

Today is April 15th, the dreaded day. Everybody here in Puerto Rico is in the midst of getting it done, including me. We have to pay some this year, which brings us to the point of this blog--the relationship between God and government.

In the States we have lived without government interference in religion since almost he beginning. But as government seeks to intrude more and more into every aspect of our lives it must meddle in the churches as well. The first area has been in the marriage/divorce arena. In the 1980's we went through a spate of lawsuits against churches for publicly marking members, particularly in regards to divorce & remarriage. Those seemed to end when one "victim" lost and paid not only her lawyer fees but those of the church as well (her lawyer also went before the bar).

It seems that "hate speech" will be the next likely area of conflict. Is homosexuality a sin? According to the Bible yes. Is it "hate speech" to say this? NO! If you go to the doctor and he tells you you have cancer, is that "hate speech"? Do you want to hear that you have cancer? No, that's one of the most frightening words in the English language, but better for him to tell you the truth, even if there's nothing that can be done about it, then lie to you to "spare your feelings".

In the same way, we need to call sin sin, so that those in sin may recognized their need to change before it is too late. Will sinners reject such teaching? Most of them will. Do they like to hear it? Obviously not, but again who wants to be told they have cancer? We might argue there's a way to say it and that some brethren are crude about it, but that doesn't change the truth. A doctor with a poor bedside manner doesn't change the fact that you have cancer--could he have been kinder in the way he said it? Probably, although there is no nice way to give someone a death sentence.

God's truth doesn't change to fit the wants of society, any society of any time period. Neither can we change the truth to please those around us, even the government.

Tol

Friday, April 10, 2009

Becoming all things to all men




Today is "Good Friday" you know and in the Caribbean it is one of the days of the year you MUST go to church. For the past 6-7 years the church in Dorado, Puerto Rico has had a service on Good Friday, with lots of visitors. You see most of the 40 + that were present today--25 of them were non-Christian visitors. If you subtract the 7 of us who came from other churches you see that the members were way outnumbered by the members. The good thing about the non-Christians is that many of them are family of the local brethren, so there is a point of contact to study in the future.
I know some would pale at the idea of "celebrating" this Roman Catholic tradition, which cannot be found in the Bible. If they were celebrating it like others do I would agree, but they are not. People here are looking for a place to "go to church" today, so why not use it to teach them the truth? In 1 Cor. 9:22 Paul says, "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
Think about what you can take advantage of to preach the Gospel.
Tol

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Evangelism in the 21st Century

Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. Those who know say a church must grow 10 % a year just to maintain itself. The Great comission, one of the last things Jesus commanded the Apostles sets forth clearly their directive (and ours, as we imitate them) to preach the Word to every person. But how can we do that today?

There was a time when many non-Christians would come to Gospel meetings just for something to do, hear the Word, and be converted. In those days TV was not a factor, nor where the various sports activities for every member of the family, club meetings, etc. In "those days" (not to say the "good old days") it was common to have 10 or more visitors to a Gospel meeting, with at least one baptism, frequently more. Today many churches have a time getting their members to attend a Gospel meeting, much less visitors.

There was a time when radio programs sparked a lot of interest--everyone listened to the radio--no ipods, stereos, boomboxes, etc. so what was said on the radio was heard throughout the whole community. While radio seems to be making something of a comeback, it just doesn't have the influence it once had.

We must acknowledge that the world we live in has changed--people are busier, have much more entertainment/distractions, and even have less time to think or meditate. Does that mean that evangelism no longer works or as it is commonly phrased "nobody wants to hear the truth anymore"? Do we need to make changes in evangelism, and if so what kinds of changes should we make?

The nitty gritty of conversion has always been (and will always be) people sitting down and studying the Bible together, with an open heart to learn what God would have me to do. The needs of mankind have never changed, so God's Word has no need to change either. The only way people grow in faith is by hearing the Word of God. There is no substitute for Bible study, particularly guided Bible study to help a sinner see what His condition is before God and what God expects of him. No, Bible study cannot be changed.

On the other hand, our ways of making contacts probably will change. Talking to people you already know and have some influence with, is always the best way to find those willing to study. Often times we just need to ask them--quit beating around the bush and ask them. But if you are diligent you will eventually run through that group of people, so where do you go next? In times past door knocking worked fairly well, or radio programs, even ads in the newspaper, but these don't seem to work as well as they once did. That doesn't mean there is no interest in spiritual things, nor that nothing can be done. It merely means we must explore other ways of sparking interest in the non-Christian.

The internet is a wonderful tool for teaching. There are a couple of websites among brethren, in several languages, that receive over 100,000 "hits" a month--that many people go to the website and look at at least one page. Obviously most of them don't continue, but some do. A well done website can produce results, not only locally, but throughout the world. Our website is priglesiadecristo.com. We have articles and sermons in both English and Spanish, along with powerpoints, etc. We encourage you to come check it out.

Tol

Monday, March 09, 2009

Standing up for Jesus

Through the years we've lived in a couple of towns where the church was really strong and in one of those Dana was a Girl Scout leader. About 1/3 (or more) of the leaders were also Christians.

The year of Girl Scouts anniversary (I think it was 50 years) rolled around, so each council was going to have some special event to celebrate. As the subject of what they were going to do was broached, one of the more aggresive leaders began really pushing a "fun" night for the girls at the HS gym, which would conclude with a dance. Well actually culminate is probably the better word--the highlight of the whole evening was the dance.

There were almost 20 women present, of which at least 7 or 8 were Christians. Being one of the newer leaders Dana waited a bit to let someone with more influence protest, but no one did. Finally she protested, giving her reasons why and still no one else said anything. The dance was ultimately accepted.

As Dana was leaving several different leaders who were Christians approached her, telling her they didn't approve of the dance, their girls would be leaving before it started, etc. When asked why they didn't stand up against it they really had nothing to say. The dance was a flop, but the whole thing could have been avoided if only a few more had spoken out against it.

Are you standing up for Jesus, or do you just sit there? When someone at work (or school) tells dirty jokes what is your response? Do you just sit there, not laughing, but not saying anything? Or do you get all self-righteous and make a big scene about it? In my judgment neither of these is the answer--you need to politely, but firmly, tell the person that you believe such jokes are not in keeping with being a Christian. If he/she is offended it's not because of you, or what you said, but because of a guilty conscience. When "the guys from work" invite you to "go out for a beer" how do you respond? Do you say you don't have the time, or do you tell them the truth--I don't drink or go to where drinking is the main entertainment (that's the meaning of "drinking parties" in 1 Pet. 4:3)?

Are you standing up for Jesus?

Tol

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

a way with words

I talked with a friend today about a family member who had been killed and she told me the body was going to be "exposed" tonight at the funeral home. Her English is very good, but there are some words that don't necessarily translate easily. And while many people might call it a "wake" or a "viewing" I remember an older brother who used to say "they'll have him/her out" tomorrow night. From the context it's not too difficult to figure out what they mean, but it is interesting. Not all cultures say things the same way.

In the spiritual realm it is no different. As Christians we talk about "sound" churches or "liberal" churches. We may even use words like propitiation, atonement, etc. when talking with friends who are not "literate" in the Bible. We know and understand very well what these words mean, but they don't. When it comes to the Bible some people know very little, so when they hear such words they just turn you off. So, you think you've enlightened them and they haven't heard a thing you said.

Words are important--don't misunderstand me, but sometimes we don't help our listeners understand by our choice of words. When we moved to KY and I first heard the phrase "I don't care a bit for you to come over" the context seemed to say "come on over" but the words seemed, at least to me, to say "don't come". After several clarifications I finally understood, but I can be persistent when I need to be. Your non-Christian friends may not be nearly so persistent in trying to understand.

So as one well-respected brother said years ago, "Never underestimate the ignorance of your audience"--don't assume they know everything that you do. More than likely they don't, so think about your choice of words and make sure they are understanding you, because if they don't understand it doesn't matter how eloquent your teaching/preaching is, you're just wasting your time and theirs.

Tol

Monday, March 02, 2009

February--a month of firsts

February has come and gone but it was an exciting month for us in Puerto Rico. The churches continue to grow and as a result, so do brethren. We have had two brethren at Caparra (San Juan) lead their first prayer while waiting on the Lord's table. 3 were baptized at Moca (2 hours west of San Juan) and both men have lead prayers. The young man that was baptized in Jan. at Moca is also serving the Lord's table.

Growth is by spurts and at times seems to be two steps forward, one step back, but it is progress no matter how slow. One of the young men at Caparra, when asked to lead the prayer for the bread, back out because (he told me later) "he didn't know the prayer you had to say"--he had decided there these prayers were according to a formula and had to be said exactly or they were not valid.

Attendance at Caparra yesterday was 11 in English, 15 in Spanish and 12 at Moca.

There is another new church meeting in the center of the island, at Juncos. Presently there are 6 meeting there, Joe Carrasquillo and his family and Oscar and Ana Colon. They are passing out literature and inviting the neighbors, so we trust the Lord will give the increase. There is not a church in this town, nor in several of the towns around it.

Please continue to pray for us as we work here and that the Lord will provide the support for Joel Holt to move here in July, to work with us, as scheduled.

Tol

Friday, February 27, 2009

A big family
















I'm preparing a series of lessons on what it means to be a Christian. Last week was based around the phrase in 1 John "born of God". Used only in this short book it appears 6 times, each time in a context that highlights one aspect of being a Christian. This week will be about what it means to be in the "family of God".
As I was preparing the powerpoint I was thinking about our very large family, spread all over the world. Above are two photos of small parts of our family after they have worshipped--two small churches from two different islands, with two different cultures, that use two different languages, etc. Now multiply that by the thousands of congregations throughout the world and you begin to see what a big family it really is.
There are 4 sound churches here in Puerto Rico, all with about 15-20 in attendance. One worships in English, so you can imagine how isolated they sometimes feel. Yes, they share a building with a Spanish speaking group, but they meet at different times and hardly see one another. But even though they are so few here they, like all of us, are part of the family of God.
Please pray for your family throughout the earth. Some suffer persecution (China, Nigeria, etc.), some are starving (Zimbabwe, The Phillipines), some are almost totally ignored (Western Europe), while others are working in areas where people are more receptive to the Gospel, but they all need your prayers.
Tol

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Everybody has the answer

My wife Dana suffers from asthma. Her attacks are not frequent, but they are severe when she has one and it usually takes several months for her to recuperate. She was diagnosed about 10 years ago, but hers doesn't seem to be "normal" asthma. Ever since she started having problems everyone has an answer for her problem. Here in the Caribbean it is even worse, as everyone has an answer and is dying to share it with here. It is so bad that the preacher in Moca, the first time she was there and was coughing advised the brethren that she had had this problem for 10 years and had already heard more remedies than a person could "test" in a lifetime. Even so she received one more that afternoon.

Depending on the culture the remedies range from vitamins, herbs, bee propolis to pine bark and even lizard soup (don't know if that's the anole lizard, the iguana, or the ground lizard--didn't inquire that far). But in our desire to help, or just be busybodies, we all "want" to share our answer for Dana's problem. She's tried some of them and they haven't worked for her, but we get new ones frequently--everybody has the answer.

It seems that advice in the spiritual realm is much the same--everybody has the answer! If you don't believe it, just listen to the TV & radio talk shows. One "expert" assures us "gay is good" while another decries it. One tells us "divorce is victimless" while another says "divorce only affects the couple" and still another admits "divorce affects everyone, including grandparents". The tragic thing is that while men are busy "thinking" and then spewing their "answers", the real answers can be found in the Bible. Oh, I know, the Bible is seen by many to be "antiquated" and "out of date", but the longer we try "our answers" the more we realize that God's answers were always the best. Why does God hate divorce? Could it be because He wants the best for us and knows that divorce affects everyone involved, no matter how far away they seem to be for the worse.

The book of Judges describes a tumultuous time in the nation of Israel. It can best be characterized by a phrase that appears at least 3 times within it--"In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes." When every man seeks his own answers there is chaos and problems. When a society seeks, and follows, God's answers there is peace, tranquility, and prosperity.

Tol

Friday, February 20, 2009

Environmental damage

To the right is one of our "neighbors"--he used to come up in the backyard often, but the dogs seem to have changed his feeding patterns. The iguanas in the trees behind our house are a constant attraction to those who visit us, but not everyone here is so excited by them. Seems they are damaging "bird habitat" along one of the shipping canals. Funny how "the environment" can affect the "environment", isn't it?

This discussion is kind of like weeds--they always seem to be hardier than the "good" plants, so if left alone will choke the good ones out.

Which brings me to the spiritual application. Our environment has a profound effect on our spirituality. If we are surrounded by people who have no interest in God and spiritual things, it WILL rub off on us. To be sure, we may not forget God completely, but He will not be as important to us as He used to be. If we are surrounded by immoral people, their values and even actions could become part of our lives. If all our friends are religious people, but not Christians, that will affect our spirituality as well. Obviously then, it is important who are close friends are, and even who we spend a lot of time with.

On the other hand, if our close friends are other Christians they too will affect us--for the good. If you want to get stronger spiritually you need to spend more time with people who are spiritually strong.

Our environment affects us too; for good or for evil. Which will you choose?

Tol



Friday, January 16, 2009

"Nobody is interested in the Gospel today!"

Have you heard brethren make this statement? Have you yourself made it? Having preached in more than one culture in two languages I have not found this to be true.

I met Antonio Wed. afternoon in the home of a Sister here in the Dominican Republic. He is an old family friend, although they had not really spent time with him in 15-20 years. He came to the capital seeking a visa to travel to the US and needed somewhere to stay for a week or so. Nino began talking with him about the Bible that morning and that night he was baptized. He has been in many churches, seeking the true church. When he finally found it Wed. he didn't delay his obedience.

Last night in a rural village (less than 300 population) 55 were present for a service at the house of one of the members. Around 25 of those were visitors, some of whom regularly visit. Although there had been a death in one family in the village that day, 25 were present to hear the Word of God. The church in El Mamon is growing, primarily because the brethren are working. Many in the village can't read or write, but they can listen to the Word preached or taught.

You may say, "But that's in a foreign country". True, but there are people where you live who are looking for the true church also--they're waiting for you to contact them. Could the difference be, not in the "audience" but rather in us as workers?

Tol

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The conveniences of modern life

I'm in the Dominican Republic and am reminded again of how good we have it in the States.

Water came today--their days are Tues. and Thur. They have a tank on the roof, so if you're careful you have water every day. But house cleaning and washing must be done on one of these 2 days--so much for doing laundry when you want to.

The power has been on most of my time here, although it was off for a couple of hours yesterday. I thought I would have to finish my sermon last night in the dark, but it was only a couple of voltage drops. Tonight I preach in a rural area, where the power goes out almost every night, so they meet at 6 PM.

Santo Domingo is a city of 4 million +, with not enough roads for the ever growing number of cars. Today Nino will travel from the north of the city to downtown, from there to the airport 15 miles south, to the east side to pick me up, to travel even farther north to the "suburbs" for a Bible study, to go even farther east to El Mamon tonight, to return "home" in the north--easily 4-5 hours in the car. He probably left home at 6 AM and will get back at 8:30 or so, depending on if he stays to visit tonight. For those who rely on public transportation it is even more time consuming.

Yet in spite of these difficulties brethren meet together 3 times a week--Sunday, then either Tues/Thur or Wed/Fri.

What about you?

Tol

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

progress or digression??

Here in the Dominican Republic the front page new yesterday was the signing of an agreement with the countries of Central America to work toward a union, much like the European Union, with a common market, a common currency, etc. In these tough economic times such a union may open markets to the Dominican Republic, where there are a number of factories, but in the future I perceive that may reverse itself, as labor costs in most Central American countries are lower than they are here. Is this progress or not? The various political parties will no doubt discuss this ad nauseum, but only time will tell.

There is a movement among churches of Christ to "progress"--to change worship to "what the people want" instead of what God wants. Baptism as a condition of salvation is not taught so much, even by some of those who believe (more and more do not). The question we must ask ourselves though is this: Is this progress or digression? Your answer to that will depend on your view of authority. If you believe God expects us to obey Him in all things, then you view such changes as digression, if you believe God isn't overly concerned if we do exactly what He says, then you probably view these changes as progress.

The Bible consistently teaches that God expects us to obey Him and shows the punishment of those who didn't in the past; even those with good intentions. Nothing in 2 Sam. 6:3-7 indicates that Uzzah had anything but good intentions when he touched the ark of the covenant to keep it from falling, but God struck him dead on the spot.

Why do we still worship the same way we've always worshipped? Could it be that it is what God has authorized, and nothing else? I answer with a resounding yes.

Tol