It's what you're accustomed to

This morning when we woke up it was cold, why it must have 68 degrees, with a 10 MPH gale out of the NE. Now I know most of you are realing feeling sorry for us--yet right, you think I'm crazy, but when you live year round in the mid-upper 80's day and night a wind chill of 64 degrees is cool. On the one hand I'm looking forward to being in the States next week as it will be nice to see real cold weather, but I'm also dreading it for the same reason--being cold. To most of you 68 would be warm right now, but that's because the high is probably in the 40's or 50's. Your body is accustomed to the cold, so it feels "right".

They say you can put a frog in a pot of room temperature water on the stove, then turn the burner on under it, the frog will stay in the pot until it dies. Supposedly the gradual change doesn't alarm it enough to cause it to save its life.

Is sin any different? If you begin to "dabble" in sin, just a little, it doesn't seem so bad and before long you're accustomed to it. What was uncomfortable in the beginning becomes a little uncomfortable some of the time, then eventually you don't even think about it. But like the boiling water, the wages of sin is death.

Here in Puerto Rico the fashion is for women to have some part of their breast exposed as well as their belly showing. If a young lady sees that all around here she can easily become accustomed to it--her Father can also become accustomed to it, so that both fail to realize that such dress is not modest. If where you work everyone curses and uses foul language frequently, you will become accustomed to it, unless you work on it. In a business climate where so many have no ethics, it is easy to become accustomed to it, even though it is wrong.

Do we have to go out of the world to avoid sin? No, in fact Lot is called a righteous man even though he moved his family into Sodom. But the same context that tells us he was righteous tells us he was vexed by their evil deeds. When you cease to be bothered by the sin so rampant around you, you know you've become accustomed.

Tol

Mr. & Mrs. Faithful

We all know Abraham was a man of great faith--he is called the Father of the faithful, but I'm seeing that many people don't view his wife Sarah in the same light. Why she lied twice, saying she was his sister, when she was his wife and got the Egyptians and the people of Gerar in trouble because of her lie. Then when God promised she would have a child, first she "helped" Him out by giving Abraham Hagar to have a child with, then laughed in disbelief when told that within the year she would have a child.

So was Sarah a woman of faith, or not? Heb. 11:11 says, "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." Why was Sarah able to have a child? Because of Abraham's faith? No, but because of their faith--his and hers. Did she laugh in disbelief? Yes, but so had Abraham already (Gen. 17:17). If all we had was what Heb. 11:11 said of Sarah, it would be enough to prove that she had great faith--a woman 90 years old, who had NEVER been able to have children, who had finally gone through menopause with a child, would now have a child with a man 100 years old. Yet Sarah believed this and it came to pass.

"But what about her lies?" Obviously she did lie, but Abraham asked her to, "Please say you are my sister , that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." As a submissive wife she followed the lead of her husband.

Both Sarah and Abraham sinned--in the lies, in his relationship with Hagar, and their laughing, but both of them are described as persons of great faith, even set forth as examples of faith and faithfulness. And the Bible presents them as they were, "warts" and all. The Bible never shows us sinless people, but rather shows the good and the bad.

When we examine ourselves we must acknowledge our sins and frequently we despair--how can I make it to heaven? The father of the faithful also sinned, yet is recognized for his faith. This gives us hope that we too can be seen by God as faithful.

Tol

Black & White People

Fairy tales fascinate children--the hero/es do battle against evil, usually a villain and save another person, the nation, the world, perhaps even the universe. Is there a certain amount of hero worship involved? No doubt, but I think children also love fairy tales because it matches their view of people--people are either black or white, good or evil. Children view everyone as either a good person or a bad person--there is very little tolerance for mistakes or sin. In their world good people don't do bad things and bad people don't do good things--you're either one or the other.

As we mature we come to see that good people make mistakes, sometimes mistakes that affect many people very dramatically, and that bad people can do some good things. We realize that good people have their faults or weaknesses and aren't perfect and that even the worst people usually have at least a few redeeming qualities. I know a few very bad people, but Jesus acknowledged that worldly people do some good--"do not even the Gentiles love those who love them?" There are very few people who are all black or all white--we all have at least a little gray.

Understanding this should help us be more compassionate with others. If I recognize that I need God to forgive me of my sins and shortcomings, I must also recognize that I must forgive others who wrong me. Jesus addressed this very point on more than one occasion. Why? Could it be that we have a problem with this?

Interestingly, the Bible does not portray even our heroes in this light. It records 2 occasions when Abraham repeated the same lie that Sarah was his sister: she was his half-sister, but she was also his wife. We are also told that Abraham laughed when promised a son at 99 years of age. David, the man after God's own heart, was not a very good father and was guilty of fornication and murder to cover that up. When I see their sins I have hope--if they could make it, so can I. How about you?

Tol

Work or study?

I read somewhere that John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States, was not a particularly eager student and when he finished the preparatory school that existed in his time, he didn't want to go on to college. He enjoyed the outdoors--hunting, fishing, etc., not sitting behind a desk. When he told his Father this, he agreed that John did not have to go if he didn't want to, but that if he was not studying he must work on the farm. John agreed to this, no doubt thinking that anything outdoors would be preferable to studying books indoors. As time passed though, he changed his mind and when it was time to register for the next term he was quite ready to enroll in Harvard.

I believe John's Father was a wise man--he didn't argue, cajole, or even force John to go to college, but neither did he throw his hands up and allow his son to become a lazy bum. His actions showed John the two roads ahead of him--he could work with his back or with his brain. He believed his son needed to be busy in something useful, either work or school.

As citizens of the Lord's kingdom, no matter our age, health, or abilities our King expects, even demands that we be busy in His kingdom. To use the analogy of John Adams, you will either study and prepare yourself or you will begin working without such preparation, but you must be busy.

"But I can't preach or teach publicly" you cry. I don't question that, but what CAN you do for the Lord? Your health may not permit you to do as much as you used to in the Lord's service, but is there not something you can do? I tire quickly of those who are continually giving excuses as to why they CANNOT work for the Lord, rather than finding a way around their obstacles to fulfill the Lord's commands. I suspect the Lord does too, especially since He KNOWS whether they're excuses or reasons.

Tol

A way that seems right to a man

I'm in St. Croix this week--the island where we worked and lived for 8 years. Toward the end of that time (around 1996) legislation was passed to permit up to 4 casinos to be built on St. Croix. The casino or casinos were to be the economic salvation of the island--it would bring more tourism, which would support the restaurants, bars, shops, etc. on the island. At least that was the argument the majority believed in approving this legislation.

It took several years for the casino to be built, but rather than bringing an economic boom to the island the reverse has been true. We were here in 2004 and noticed the number of restaurants, shops, gas stations, etc. that had closed and wondered why. Several people assured us that it was just the "shuffle"--restaurants move from here to there, change their name, a shop closes on one street but another opens a block away. St. Croix is an expensive place to live and an even more expensive place to own a business, so more new businesses than in the States don't make it. And there has always been a lot of shuffling. But one man revealed the real problem--the casino. He had just finished his house and as is customary here, he paid the workers every Friday. When they came back on Mon. morning they needed to borrow money for gas and lunch--after receiving anywhere from $500-800 on Friday. When he asked them about that money, you guessed it, it had all been spent at the casino, which sent it all to Mobile, AL, to headquarters.

Instead of those paychecks being spent on gasoline, food (groceries, restaurants, convenience stores) and K-mart it left the island completely. The number of vacant buildings is double or triple what it was before the casino came to "save" the islands economy. Do we always know what will be best? Often we don't--we think we do, but we turn out to be wrong.

Is it any different when we try to "outguess" or "be smarter" than God? If He is the Creator (and He is) and sustainer of the universe, can we ever be smarter than He is? If not, then why don't we follow His instructions? His commandments are not burdensome--they're for our benefit. Remember, there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the ways of death (Prov. 14:22)

Tol

What do we do???

It has certainly been an interesting couple of days on the financial front--with the stock market up and down, banks failing and being bought by other banks, warnings of impending recession or even depression. What are we to do?

I don't mean to minimize the problems we face, but God has NOT changed and He has promised to provice for our needs. I think this is something too many Americans, even Christians, tend to forget. If you thought government could "control" or "take care of" you, I trust you've been disabused of that notion by now. The economists can't even agree on what should be done to solve the problem, even when they agree on what the "problem" is. Our government has thus far shown us "politics as usual".

What is the answer? The only one we can depend on is God. Men may lie, or be mistaken, but God cannot do either. He is the only true ONE. Some people will be "forced" to turn to God, to grope after Him, although He is not far from each of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our very being."

Are you willing to, having done all you can do, let God handle things? He WILL take care of us, no matter what may happen in the world around us.

Tol

Sermon illustrations

One of the hardest things about preaching in another culture can be sermon illustrations. I'm probably more aware of this than many because I've seen more than one brother from the States use an example from everyday life (in the States) that falls flat in the Caribbean because they're not familiar with it. Wolves attacking a flock is foreign here--there have never been any wolves and flocks of sheep are uncommon. To be sure we have sheep (not wool sheep, but hair sheep) and goats, but they are generally tied out singly, or with a baby. In fact, the goat or sheep is more often the problem when they get loose and get into a garden.

Jesus used lots of illustrations when He preached--the parables are simply longer illustrations. As the master teacher, He knew people don't remember what they don't understand, so He used examples and illustrations to help them understand. Our audience today is no different. Think back to when someone gave you directions to get somewhere. Most people will give you landmarks along the way, especially if street signs are unavailable. If you're familiar with the area, the landmarks are easy to remember and help confirm you're on the right road (or not). But if you're not familiar with the area you will most likely forget many or all of the landmarks--you don't "understand" them, so you forget them. Rom. 6:1-5 uses the figure of death, burial, and resurrection to help us see the relationship of repentance, baptism, and salvation. In repentance we put to death the old man of sin, who must then be buried in baptism, and we are then raised to walk in newness of life.

Illustrations have gotten a bad name because some preachers misuse them. We've all heard preachers who tell so many stories, jokes, etc. that you forget the point of the sermon and that is certainly wrong. The Word of God is to be the source of authority, not man's books, poems, etc. But there is a real need for illustrations, especially when it comes to application of God's Word to my life. Sermons dealing with marital relations, raising children, relations with co-workers, become real when real life illustrations are used. People who don't want to see a principle can hardly help from seeing it when a good illustration is used.

I find telling the Bible stories works for me. I try to either quote or read key phrases from the text, but will also use the language people today would use sometimes. Do some preachers "jazz it up" too much? No doubt; and others play fast and loose with the text, which is also dangerous. Working in St. Croix I realized that in the Old Testament we would read the account, then I would retell it so people understood it, which amounted to a double reading. I finally decided to just tell the story, letting them read it at home before we studied. Like everything else telling the story well takes practice--it can't be too long, but you can't leave out too much of the detail either. I think some of the Bible stories are funny--the man born blind of John 9, for example, but the point of illustrations should not be get people laughing.

Now going back to my opening point--make sure your illustrations are understood by your audience. I once heard a preacher say, "Sister ______ was the only one in the ladies class that understood my barnyard illustrations." I immediately thought that if only one person in the class understood those illustrations he obviously needed other illustrations. You might be amazed at the impact local illustrations have--some years ago I was preaching in Mexico and while at a meal something was said about unexpected company coming for a meal, so "I just added more water to the beans". In the South someone might say "I put another bean in the pot" or "I peeled another potato". Later that week I preached about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and made the point that this was not "just adding more water to the beans". From the comments afterward it was obvious they understood the point--after feeding 10,000-20,000 people Jesus had more left over than what He started with. And isn't that the whole point?

Tol

Using Words

Having spent time in 3 widely separated Spanish speaking areas this summer, I've been amused at the words that are different. To the left you see an orange tree (I hope), a "naranja" in Mexico or "china" here in Puerto Rico. This is true especially of foods--"mani" here, "cacahuate" in Mexico (peanut in English). Avocado is aguacate here, "palta" in S. America. Car tires are respectively: llantas (Mexico), gomas (PR) and cauchos (Venezuela). So even though everyone is speaking the same language, some words may not be understood in one area, although common in another.

The Bible employs a huge vocabulary, using the most appropriate word in each place, and many of those words are not used in everyday conversation--when was the last time you talked to someone about "propitiation" or "omnipotent"? Then some of these words have little or no meaning to non-Christians. In Caribbean politics, a favorite campaign phrase is "keep the faith". If the candidates actually have positions (or a platform) this might have some application, but usually they are running solely on their personality (as well as free food and liquor) so just what "faith" are their followers to keep?

Sometimes we use Bible words without defining them, leaving others wondering what we mean. Brother Hardeman said, "Never underestimate the ignorance of your audience". Too many times we use words our friends don't understand and are then surprised "they didn't learn anything". I'm not suggesting we use other words, although sometimes there are synonyms that are better understood, but that we define our words as necessary.

Tol

"Conservatives are mean and liberals are stupid"

Don't know whether you've heard this quote before, but I think there's a lot of truth to it. Liberals (in my view) tend to think they live in a perfect world, where each person will do what's right if you just have enough patience and give them _____________ (fill in the blank with whatever YOU think they need. Because of that, they tend to enable bad people, which is often stupid. On the other hand. conservatives think everyone should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and so at least come across mean spirited (some are downright mean, not just mean spirited). So which one is right/better?

A social conservative can be/come across as uncaring about those who are in need. While a social liberal is much more attuned (at least so it seems) to human suffering, often their solutions accomplish little real good. While God expects each of us to do the best we can, He made provisions for the needy--through the church, as well as through individuals. His plan doesn't involve governments or setting up institutions to do the job, but rather is on a small scale. God does care for those in need (orphans, widows, disabled, etc.) but He also said "He that will not work, neither let him eat." The trick for us is to stick to God's plan (be conservative) but not become mean spirited. Do some people take advantage of the "system"? Of course! But let us never become cynical because of that--we must continue to think the best of a person until they prove otherwise.

Many have said, "I'd rather go to hell for doing something (unauthorized) than for doing nothing.", the idea being that while liberals may go beyond what God authorizes at least they are doing something, while conservatives are doing nothing. Sadly, there are many conservatives who are doing nothing, but at the same time there are many liberals who are only making token efforts. If you analyze what "liberal" churches give to "good works" then divide the total by the number of members you will frequently find that each member is "doing good" to the tune of 50 cents a month. What a sacrifice.

Brethren, I am going to great lengths to be in heaven throughout eternity, not hell. The fact that I did many "good works" while alive will be no consolation in hell. The rich man of Luke 16 wasn't thinking of his riches in Hades

I believe that God demands our obedience, which makes me conservative--careful to follow His commands. But He commands that I love my neighbor as myself, which means I can't be hard hearted to the needs of others. If you do it right, people (especially your enemies) will not know which "label" fits you--you're obviously conservative in regards to His Word, but you're liberal in your caring for others. Confusing them can be a good thing.

Tol

September 13 & Hurricane Ike

Sept. 12th or 13th will take on new significance for many along the upper Texas coast--the day Hurricane Ike hit. Things will be dated in life by Ike--"Was that before Ike, or after?" By now you've seen photos of Houston/Galveston/Port Arthur/etc. and the destruction of Hurricane Ike. With the Lord's help your family and friends in that area are well and you've heard from them.

The passage of a major hurricane is life changing, even if you and your house suffer little or no damage. Unlike a tornado, which usually affects only a small part (or path) of a town, a hurricane destroys infrastructure that affects everyone. Even on the mainland, where supplies and work crews can arrive by truck (not by boat as must be done here in the Caribbean) it takes time to replace the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of power poles. Once this is done the power lines must be run, then reconnected to houses, or neighborhoods, etc. The same is true of telephone and cable lines, unless they're underground. Potable water is usually a problem--not only because of power issues, but frequently the treatment plant is at best contaminated, at worst damaged or destroyed.

Transportation is snarled because of downed trees and power lines, potholes, washouts, rock or mud slides, etc. Even cell phones don't usually work during the first few days--they took the satelite dishes down so they must be put back up.

We are thank God that the loss of life seems to be minimal, but the loss of quality of life will continue for awhile--3-4 months or longer. Please keep these brethren in your prayers.

Tol

Culture versus the Bible

In Puerto Rico cock fighting is legal and most towns have at least one public arena where it takes place--it's part of the culture and goes way back, probably to the early 15oo's. And not only is there the cruelty to the roosters: gambling and drinking are part of the "fun". When people here eat a meal, alcohol, especially wine is frequently present--they follow the European customs in this (and other) areas.

Virgin Islands culture includes Carnival (think Mardi Gras) and dancing that one brother described as sex with clothes on. Other cultures practice abandonment of unwanted babies, polygamy, etc. Many cultures make sausage with blood, the one food the New Testament reminds us we cannot eat. When the Bible and a culture disagree what should a Christian do?

I've heard Christians say: "It's our culture--there's nothing wrong with that". God's Word is for all cultures, of all times. "God commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). The fact that a culture approves of something is not the final judgment on whether something is pleasing to God or not. God calls us to rise above sin and worldliness, not just remain in the status quo. The fact that a whole nation, even nations, approves of a particular action does not mean God does.

Fornication of every kind was an integral part of Greek and later Roman culture. Polygamy was, and is, part of many different cultures. Idolatry has frequently been tied to this or that culture. If the fact that something is "cultural" makes it right, then could we condemn fornication, polygamy, or even idolatry, if it is "a part" of some culture? Yet our Heavenly Father wants what's best for His children, so He forbids these things. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly".

Culture does not legislate truth--it may obey the Truth or it may disobey it, but man is not the source of authority, no matter how many generations have done. But the only way you'll know that is if you study God's Word.

Tol

Politics as usual

Labor Day weekend seems to mark the beginning of the political season here in Puerto Rico. Our backyard backs up to a major thoroughfare, all six lanes of it, so we've already had two political trucks this evening. I didn't see them--the trees on the other side of the drainage canal prevent that, but I heard them loud and clear.

Since everybody has their windows open--it's only 84 degrees right now, you hear the music whether you want to or not. They each had their catchy little song extolling their candidate and depending on the traffic and the traffic lights you can get to hear the song through several times with some of them.

The political caravans will probably not start until next month--the candidate gets as many cars together as he/she can, stopping at strategic points to pick up more followers. Of course there is at least one, frequently several trucks with loud speakers blasting music to keep things lively--just imagine having one or two of these parked across the street from your house for half an hour or so. Usually at these stops there is also plenty of liquor, so "lively" is the word to describe this whole nonsense.

It's amazing what people will do for monetary gain, all the while ignoring their spiritual welfare. Just like Esau traded his birthright (the right to be the patriarch after Isaac died and receive a double portion of the inheritance) for a bowl full of lentil stew, in the same way many are trading their eternal soul for something that won't last more than a few short years.

What about you?

Tol

Giving up

I was in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico last week preaching. Agua Prieta is a town of 70,000 or so in the middle of the desert. As we approached the brother driving said, "I don't see the usual cloud of sand hovering over A.P--it's been raining lately." And everywhere you go there is sand on everything--in the few paved streets, on cars, even inside the houses. Women will clean in the morning and by afternoon it's sandy again. The preacher told me he had given up on keeping his car clean--it was impossible.

As he said that I realized that was really all you could do, but then I thought about the spiritual application. How many Christians "give up" or "give in" to the pressure of the world around them? When all your friends are drinking, how does a young person not give in? When everybody else at work is pilfering, or just doing the minimum who do you "work as unto the Lord", especially when they begin to put on the pressure? When you are one of only 10 or so Christians in a town, when even your own family is at best indifferent or at worst antagonistic to your efforts to serve God, how do you keep from "giving up"?

In order to overcome the constant pressure you must rely first on God, and then on your brethren, few though they may be. As Rom. 8 points out, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" But in order to keep that always in mind, we must be reading and studying His Word daily. If faith comes by hearing the Word of God (and it does) there is only one way our faith can grow.

Our closest companions will have a great impact on whether we overcome or give up, so they must be Christians too. I know a brother whose wife is not a Christian--she's not antagonistic toward the church, she just doesn't care. What a tragic situation and what a burden it is for him. Our brethren can be a great help to us, if we will make the effort.

There's not much you can do about the sand when you're in the desert, but with the Lord's help we don't have to give in to the world.

Tol

"El estado Grande"--Chihuahua

For the next few days I'm in Chihuahua, "the big state" of Mexico. It's still kind of amazing that I can leave Puerto Rico one afternoon and 24 hours later be in N. Mexico, having spent the night in Arizona. I'm preaching a Gospel meeting in Nuevo Casas Grandes.

The church here is different from many in Mexico--they have around 100 in attendance on Sunday and have 3-4 generations of the same family as members. Brother Angel Palomares preached here for 50 years or so, before health problems forced him to "retire". I was concerned what would happen once he could no longer preach, but the brethren have stepped up and although they're in something of a transition, so far it seems to be working. Several take turns preaching, a month at a time, which has pushed them to mature. Others have risen to teach classes, etc. So far this year they've had 7 baptisms.

Let us continue to pray for these brethren as they work together.

Privately funded fellowship halls

Now that I have your attention--"privately funded fellowship halls" is not a household phrase, let me explain. I've encountered several situations through the years where some of the members of a local church, ranging in number from 1 to many, have pooled their money and built a fellowship hall. Someone in the group, whether many or few, was not comfortable with building such a building with money from the church treasury. Is such a building scriptural or unscriptural? After all, the "Lord's money" was not used to build it, or in one case even to maintain it.

I do NOT believe the church is in the entertainment business, whether it's a simple potluck or a full blown gymnasium, with all the paraphanalia that goes into a gym. If that's true, then obviously the church could not spend it's money to build and maintain such a place. I'm not going to address the old argument that "Christians need to fellowship, so anything that helps with that is okay". Certainly Christians need to spend time together, but is that the work of the church?

In the neighborhood where the church meets (Caparra Terrace) the houses were built in the 50's. They were all built with at least one carport, even though almost no one had cars back then. What do you do with a carport when you have no car? In the tropics it becomes outdoor living area--most of them now have a TV, chairs or couches, etc. Once the carport became the family room people seemed to forget it was once supposed to be a place to park your car--now that everyone has a car, all of them parked on the street, it's hard to drive down the street, much less find a parking place. We've finally got most of our neighbors to leave the 2 parking spots in front of the building for us on Sun. and Wed.

I find the same thing happening with "privately built fellowship halls". In the beginning everyone remembers that they are NOT the work of this particular local church, but rather of various members. But as generations pass what they were supposed to be, like the Puerto Rican carport, is forgotten and not only does the church maintain them, but it expands or replaces them with a much larger one. After all, "we've always had a fellowship hall".

Tol

Crossing the Equator

I've been in Bolivia a few days now and it´s been an adjustment. It has been cloudy ever since I got here, with temperatures in the 50's. Since I forgot to pack a jacket I had to go shopping for one right away and I've had it on most of the time I've been awake since then. I'm not accustomed to being cold in 2nd world countries--quite the opposite. A southern system blew in Sat. AM which here is cold, not hot.

I have spent 3-4 hours at least every day with the 1 or 2 brethren there are, studying as their knowledge is very basic. There were 11 of us for worship Sunday, including the 2 kids. They need lots of prayers, as they begin meeting again after 4 years or so. There are a couple of young ladies who are contemplating baptism. Please remember the church in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in your prayers.

Tol

Who's in charge????

I'm in the Miami airport. I should have arrived in Bolivia about 8 hours ago, but many flights to/from Miami were cancelled yesterday, so instead of arriving here last night I arrived at 5:30 this morning. Miami had really bad weather yesterday, so at least 3 flights to San Juan were cancelled. From the reaction of my fellow passengers, I got the impression some were thinking, "Who's in charge here, anyway?" As Christians we know who's really in charge, and it's not mankind. God is the one who not only created us, but the one who keeps it all going.

When we really come to understand that God is in charge, it makes it so much easier for us. We have all heard that "our job is to sow the seed. God will give the increase." yet if we're not careful, when someone rejects God's Word we take it as a personal rejection. When we fully accept that God is in charge, we understand that it's not me they're rejecting, but Him.

We can also give our best and let it go at that. It is said that during the darkest days of Martin Luther's break with the Roman Catholic church that he became very depressed. It got so bad that one morning his wife dressed all in black and went about the house obviously mourning. When Luther finally inquired who she was mourning, she said it was God. "What do you mean, you're mourning for God?" She replied that since he was so depressed because his efforts to reform the church didn't seem to be having much success, she assumed that God MUST be dead, since the success or failure of truth depended solely on Luther's efforts (or so he seemed to think).

This dramatic gesture had the desired effect--Luther remembered that God was still in charge and he let God defend His Word. Brethren, we need to remember the same thing. By the way my flight to Bolivia is now delayed 40 minutes, but I won't worry about that--God is in charge of that, not me.

Tol

Telling the "truth"????

CNN exclusive exit polls of voter in Puerto Rico were broadcast today and since I live in Puerto Rico I was curious to see what they would say. They did get right that Hillary would win the primary, which she did handily. From there on out it was very interesting.



According to those polled, 40 % attend church once a week and another 47 % attend regularly. If you add these numbers up, that means that 87 % of all those surveyed here attend church at least once a month and half of that number attend every week. We live on a typical street in a typical neighborhood in Puerto Rico, in Bayamon, a city of 224,000 that is part of the San Juan metro area. Our street is small--only 35-40 houses, but out of those 35 houses we are the only ones who attend church regularly, much less once a week. From my dealings with others in the urbanization (neighborhood to you) I don't think the numbers would be much different on other streets. So according to my unscientific, but real observations, I would say that only 13 % attend church even regularly, which is the opposite of the polls.

Why, you ask would people lie about something like this? At the risk of being annoying, let me say that "It's a Caribbean thing; you wouldn't understand". Very few people in the Eastern Caribbean will refuse a Bible study--they may not "have time" or "I'm a bit busy right now" but you just don't reject God or "church". The poll question was quite impolite in the first place, so do you really expect most people to acknowledge something that is culturally inexcusable. I don't remember the exact setting last week, but I was in a group of people discussing "church" and "christianity" when a lady remarked to me, "We're all Christians, aren't we?" Only in the sense that "we all" acknowledge there is a God. Years ago I asked a woman in Mexico if she was a Christian. Her reply is still with me, "What do you think? That we're animals? Of course we're Christians." She wasn't, but her definition of Christian was all those who acknowledge there is a God, no matter how they live.

We laugh about people "lieing" like that, but haven't you lied to yourself about your actions? I say to yourself because God knows what the real reason for our actions are. We can justify our actions, dress them up pretty, or even flat out lie about them, but the God of heaven is not deceived. He will judge us fairly, knowing the truth.

Tol

Politics as usual

I know you´re all ready for the Nov. election to come, but you just think you have it bad. Here in the Dominican Republic not only is the TV saturated with political ads, so are the radio and the streets--everywhere you look there are billboards, signs on posts, signs on walls and fences, even signs on drain pipes (they´ve been there so long they´ve been painted over several times now--at least 2 years that I know). Each political party has their own color, or set of colors, harking back to the days when many were illiterate, just mark the color of your party and that brings up a whole array of other political propaganda--banners, T-shirts, hats, even buildings painted the purple of the governing party.



Of course no political campaign in the Caribbean would be complete without the political caravan. The candidate gathers together as many cars, trucks, and other vehicles as they can (here they even pay them so much a head to be in their parade) at various points and over the course of 3-4 hours drives around collecting them all, so they end up with a caravan stretching several miles long, which can tie up traffic for hours. In the Virgin Islands they drive from one end of island to another, here they drive from one side of the capital to the other. Of course there must be music in the caravan--this truck is one of many and some suggest that liquor is also involved at every stop.



Dominicanos were glad when the president was elected with 53 % of the vote--that meant there would be no runoff, which would have meant another 45 days of this nonsense. Yes, the morados won.



I am fascinated where people will turn looking for a purpose in life, or just some excitement. The president of a country has an effect on the lives of the citizens, but the most far reaching consequences can only affect us while we live on this earth. People will turn out in droves to watch their candidate pass by but don't "have time" to study God's Word.

Do we have our priorities out of whack, or what?

Tol

Depending on the circumstances

I was just in St. Lucia with one of the largest churches in the lesser Antilles—counting the children of members, they number 200, with 165-170 most Sunday mornings. When Brother Solomon began this work some years ago he made the decision to work primarily in areas in and around Castries, the capital. His goal was to have one strong church, rather than 4 or 5 small churches that were barely hanging on and it has turned out well. Besides the brethren with their personal vehicles who pick others up for services, they hire a taxi bus ($375 a month) to bring the rest.

This week I’m in the Dominican Republic, a country of almost 9 million people. The capital, Santo Domingo, is home to over 4 million, so you can imagine what the traffic is like. As brethren move farther away from downtown, to be able to afford housing, it can take them an hour or more to get to services downtown. The obvious result is that big downtown churches are losing members to what were once smaller churches on the outskirts and new churches are being started often. In the area where I’m staying there are at least 20 brethren, who presently attend 3 or 4 different churches. They now have a Bible study on Mon. night and are discussing whether to begin a church in this area. This is the norm here, where transportation is always an issue—not only the money, but even more the time.

Some people would be very upset, because if there’s only one way to do things right, one of these two methods is wrong. But these two different methods both work in their respective cultures, because the circumstances are different. As Christians we need the flexibility to do whatever is scriptural first, and then whatever works best in a particular situation. What works in St. Lucia may not work nearly as well in Santo Domingo, and vice versa.

Is it any different with people? Jesus condemned the Pharisees harshly yet was gentle with the woman taken in adultery. Why? He knew one was a hypocrite and the other was weak. Did the woman not know that adultery was a sin? Didn’t she realize that she could be killed if caught?

Today it’s tempting to let brethren who are weak “have it”. “They should know better than that. I KNOW they’ve heard that before.” Maybe they should know it, maybe their body was present when it was preached, but their mind was out golfing, or fishing, or working. If they didn’t get it in a group setting, why not try to teach them one on one? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, “they know that” only to talk to “them” and realize, no “they” don’t know that.

When dealing with those who are weak we need to look beyond the symptoms and get at the heart of the matter—their faith is weak. Since faith comes by hearing what they need is study, not necessarily lectures. On the other hand those who are strong, but rebellious need another kind of treatment—they need to be reproved so they will change.

We all have methods and ways we’re comfortable working with others. But those methods may not work with everyone. We have to adapt ourselves to them, not force them to adapt to us—“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

Tol Burk