Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Merry Christmas - Free Book

http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Discipline-Meditation-Devotion-Scriptures-ebook/dp/B00NF5F3ZY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1414382570


The Kindle version of my book The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation:  A Daily Devotion in the Scriptures will be free for a couple days on Amazon! Starting tomorrow, December 24th, through December 26th, you can go to Amazon HERE and receive the Kindle book for free.  May the joy of the Lord fill you as you celebrate the birth of Christ our King.  May your meditation be sweet and pleasing to Him.

http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Discipline-Meditation-Devotion-Scriptures-ebook/dp/B00NF5F3ZY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1414382570
 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A New Partnership - Reaching and Teaching

It is hard to believe our time in the States is about over.  Time flew by, and we certainly did not get to spend the amount of time that we wanted with everyone we wanted to meet up with. 
 
I am writing this from a little house in the Beartooth Wilderness of Montana.  We finally got a chance to escape our business and rest for a few days in God's vast creation of snow, trees, and clean air.  Praise God. 
 
The guys got back from the trip to the jungle earlier this month.  The trip went well and it seems we will have another interesting and very busy year in the jungle.  We found out there are ten witches in the village of Chembo and two in Nazareth.  We will go to Chembo in March and Nazareth in May.
 
Another exciting announcement is that our church in Cusco and Scott Dollar's church in Tennessee will be partnering with David Sills and Reaching and Teaching to start a training center in the jungle town of Satipo.  We will bring all the leaders from the villages, as well as the leaders in the Satipo area to Satipo for conferences where we will teach a curriculum that Reaching and Teaching has developed.  We will be teaching three, one week conferences, three times a year for three years. 

Reaching & Teaching International Ministries exists to reach the peoples of the world through evangelism and by meeting the great need for deep discipleship, pastoral preparation, leadership training, and theological education around the world. Reaching & Teaching was founded by David Sills, born out of the deep needs for discipleship and ministry training that he has seen in countries all around the world. This awareness of field based ministry needs coupled with his current work serving as a professor to those will be the missionaries of the future, led to the establishment of a ministry that will provide culturally appropriate discipleship and training for people groups around the world.
 
Below is a great video to introduce you to Reaching and Teaching.
 
 

 
 
We are so excited for this opportunity and we believe it will do much for the sake of training native pastors to pastor churches in their villages, and then go deeper into the Amazon. 
 
We will host the first week long conference on May 25th-29th.  Please be in prayer for the logistics of planning these trips, for the pastors that will begin their three year commitment, for our preparation to teach, and for the Spirit of God to make the Word of God effectual in the hearts of the people.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thankfulness as the Kingdom Advances

It has been very busy since we returned to the States for a short season.  Time seems to be flying by.  We have really enjoyed our time here and visiting with family, friends, and churches. 
 
Today is a day of thanksgiving.  A day to be thankful to God for all His goodness and mercies in our lives.  Primarily for His mercy to us in sending His glorious and precious Son, Jesus, to die in our place and give us life and hope in the gospel. 
 
 
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
- 1 Chronicles 16:34
 
Eat much, enjoy family, and be thankful to our great and good God for He is worthy of all glory.  I am so thankful that He continues to advance His Kingdom in every tribe, tongue, nation, and people.  As we eat, laugh, and thank God today, remember God's faithful servants that are laboring for the gospel.  Scott Dollar and people from his church, The Way,  as well as Joe Martinez and Anthony Olson from our church, will be going to the jungle again tomorrow.  They will be teaching and preaching in Satipo, Chembo, and Lima on this trip.  In Lima they will be working with my friend TJ at Heart of Christ Ministries, who is doing an amazing work.  Please pray for them.
 
1.  Pray overall for God’s glory to magnified during trip.
2.  Pray for the Spirit of God to fill everyone on this trip.
3.  Pray for Miguel as he leads the church in Satipo.
4.  Pray that God softens hearts of those in Satipo as the church evangelizes.
5.  Pray as the church in Satipo as they baptize their first converts
6.  Pray for the church in Chembo
7.  Pray for the community of Chembo
8.  Pray for the kids and families in Caja De Agua
9.  Pray for plans to establish Reaching and Teaching Center in Satipo in May that will begin a three-year training process for pastors
10.  Pray for possible visit to a new village in the Rio Tambo area in May

The travel and teaching details of the trip can be found at Scott Dollar's blog, HERE

 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Book Sale 91% Off Kindle

The Kindle version of my book, The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation, will be going on sale at Amazon.  On October 27th, you can get it for only .99 cents.  It goes up in price each day for the week.
 
You can buy the book at Amazon HERE.



Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Another Impossible Situation, but God Delivered

It has been busy since we arrived in Montana, and it is very good to be here once again for a season.  We almost never made it here, and if God did not intercede, we would surely not be here now.  I want to tell you a brief story of God's grace in a desperate situation. 
 
Chase turned 18 recently which resulted in the expiration of his Peruvian visa.  I went to the immigration office in Cusco many times trying to figure out what we had to do so that he could leave the country with no problems.  I was told many different things.  The laws in Peru change so much and most of the people in immigration don't know them anyway.  I was finally told by the man in charge of immigrations in Cusco that I must go to the airport upon our exit and pay a fine for Chase's expired visa.  That sounded good to me.  I verified this with our lawyer in Lima and others. 
 
The day finally arrived for us to start our two day trip to the United States.  We made it to Lima with no problems; we checked in for our flight to the States; we made it through security; finally we stood in the line to go through immigrations.  When they scanned Chase's passport it showed his visa to be expired.  I said we would pay the fine and be on our way.  They lady said we could not pay anything and she left to speak to another person.  We were brought to this lady who told us that Chase cannot leave the country with an expired visa and that we must go to the immigration office in Lima to straighten it out.  Our plane was to leave in 2 hours, and being now about midnight, the office in Lima was obviously closed.  I begged the lady to let us go because we could not miss this costly flight.  She sent us to the boss of immigrations at the airport.  He was very rude and basically told us Chase could not leave the country and tough for us. 
 
We thought about having Kim and the girls get on the flight, but then realized that Kim could not travel with the kids without a notarized document from me.  This is a rule for parents traveling with their kids without their spouse.  This would have caused great problems if Kim would have left and they probably would have restrained in Atlanta.
 
We could do nothing else but miss our flight.  I called our friend Eddie who lives in Lima.  He saved the day by driving an hour to come pick us up.  He called his friend who owns a hostel and got us some rooms. We crashed soon after 3am and we were devastated that we were stuck in Lima.
 
The next day Eddie picked Chase and I up and we all went to immigrations.  The first three people we asked told us three different things to reconcile our situation, none of which were correct.  The situation was complicated because Chase's passport also expired.  We got a new passport months ago, but the visa stamp was in the old passport.  We could not transfer the stamp to the new passport because his visa was expired.  It was looking like we would be stuck in Lima for weeks now.
 
The sweet exit stamps needed to leave Peru
Finally, thanks to Eddie's persistence, he found someone who knew what they were doing and how to solve our problem.  We set off on a path of paperwork, banks, and notaries.  God put this particular lady at immigrations in our path by His glorious providence.  We got all the required steps finished and the lady let Eddie and Chase go to the front of the line again.  After only 2 1/2 hours we were finished and had all the required exit stamps to enable Chase to leave.  This was a complete work of God.
 
We now rushed back to the hostel to try to buy new plane tickets.  We went from excited to devastated once again.  They cheapest tickets we could find for the whole family came to almost $12,000 and they were for 5 days later.  We could not do this.  It seemed very realistic that we would have to return to Cusco and cancel our trip. 
 
At the same time I was desperately searching for tickets, Kim was talking to my mom on the internet.  She said my mom was on the phone with Delta and demanding that they give us our tickets back.  I laughed because my Mom is always like this.  She was probably going to call the president next.  I told Kim that it was a waste of time and that Delta would never give us our tickets back because it was not their fault we missed the plane. 
 
A few seconds later, my mom wrote that Delta just restored our tickets.  I was left in a state of shock.  It was impossible, but it happened.  My mom talked to a local lady in Helena, Montana who actually cared about our situation and restored our tickets for this very night.  Later this lady, Sara, said that if we did not call that minute, she would have not been able to restore the tickets.  One second we were going back to Cusco, and the next second we had free tickets to the States that night. 
 
The rest of the trip was more or less uneventful.  God is so good.  Often times we do not know why we go through the trials that we do, but we can always depend on the character of God.  He works all things for our good and His glory.  We were able to see God's deliverance once again.  It seems like we have seen things like this so many times over the years.  We find ourselves in an impossible situation that God has ordained, and then He sovereignly fixes it just to show His love, glory, power, and goodness to those who love Him.  It is also amazing that God puts awesome people in our lives at the perfect time to be used by God to help us.  If God gave His own Son to die for us, will He not give us all things.  Praise Him!

Monday, September 29, 2014

The States for the Holidays


After over three years in the field, we are coming back to the States on October 15th and will stay through the holidays.  We will be spending most of our time in Montana, but will make trips to Idaho, North Dakota and Tennessee to visit family and preach at churches.  Looking forward to what God has in store for our time in the States.  Looking forward to spending time with family and friends, talking about Peru with a few churches we know, hiking in the Montanan mountains that I miss so much, eating good food during the holidays, and hopefully stirring people up to risk everything for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ among the nations.  Hope to see everyone we can.
 
 
God give me a deep humility, a well-guided zeal, a burning love and a single eye, and then let men or devils do their worst! - George Whitefield

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Jenny Adams - Unknown missionary on earth, but famous in Heaven

On a recent trip to the jungle I heard a story about a woman named Jenny Adams, who was a missionary in Peru.  Her story was incredible so I researched her name on the internet and virtually nothing was found about her.  She was well known in Northern Peru, but outside of that, most have not heard of her.  She is a perfect example of faithfully serving God will all your strength for your whole life, for God alone.  Since I could not find much information about her, I can only re-tell the story as I heard it.  I have no way of knowing if these details are accurate.
 
Jenny was from the United States and came to Peru as a Baptist missionary.  She fell in love with a Peruvian captain of the army, who later died.  Jenny stayed in Peru, resolved to serve God. 
 
In those days the Independent Baptist church did not allow woman to travel alone since there was a war.  They also required that women wear skirts and have long hair.  Jenny did not obey any of these rules.  One day she disappeared from Trujillo and hiked into a very remote village in the Andes.  No missionary was ever there before, male or female.  She began to teach the people in their homes and many people began to love her.  She taught the men the Scriptures and then told them to preach to the people.
 
One day the people told her that many people in the village assumed she was a prostitute.  Their Andean beliefs were such that any woman with pants and short hair was dishonest and a prostitute.  When she found this out she began to wear skirts and grow her hair out for the sake of the gospel.
 
Over the years the ministry thrived and bore fruit.  She walked everywhere or took a bus or train until someone gave her a car.  One day she picked up some people that needed a ride and was later pulled over by the police at a check station.  They searched her car and found that a bag of cocaine was hidden in a gas can that belonged to the people she just picked up.  Jenny was hauled to jail for transporting cocaine. 
 
Jenny took full responsibility for having drugs in her car, even though she had no idea they were there.  She eventually shared the gospel with the guy who was hiding the drugs and he was saved.  He became a pastor and Jenny discipled him from prison.  I was told that she stayed in prison for eight years.  One day in prison she broke her leg, and because of bad medical attention, she was badly crippled.  After she was released from prison, she was unable to hike into all the villages she once ministered in.  After 40 years in the field, Jenny died on January 17, 2005 at the age of 84.
 
The life of Jenny bore much fruit.  Many of the Baptist pastors in Northern Peru have come from the fruit of her bold ministry.  Jenny is almost unknown in the world, but she is famous in Heaven.

Monday, September 22, 2014

The American Mission Field - Is it wrong to leave?

"I happen to be talking to my pastor tonight about missions. He believes that there are so many lost in our communities in America that our primary mission field is here. It's not that he is against world missions, but sees such a need here that it is hard to justify going across the world while there is such a need right in front of us. What is your opinion on the American mission field?"
 
This is a question that I have heard so many times. I would like to answer this publicly to hopefully kill this anti-Biblical, damaging belief. This is not a new question or a new stance on missions, but a very old one. William Carey was confronted and rebuked for the same reason when he wanted to go as a missionary to India. I will first let Carey answer the question. He says:
 
"It has been objected that there are multitudes in our own nation, and within our immediate spheres of action, who are as ignorant as the South-Sea savages, and that therefore we have work enough at home, without going into other countries. ...That there are thousands in our own land as far from God as possible, I readily grant, and that this ought to excite us to ten-fold diligence in our work, And in attempts to spread divine knowledge amongst them is a certain fact; but that it ought to supersede all attempts to spread the gospel in foreign parts seems to want proof. Our own countrymen have the means of grace, and may attend on the word preached if they choose it. They have the means of knowing the truth, and faithful ministers are placed in almost every part of the land, whose spheres of action might be much extended if their congregations were but more hearty and active in the cause: but with them the case is widely different, who have no Bible, no written language, (which many of them have not,) no ministers, no good civil government, nor any of those advantages which we have. Pity therefore, humanity, and much more Christianity, call loudly for every possible exertion to introduce the gospel amongst them."
 
There are needs in America, Peru, India, and every other country. There always has been and there always will be until Jesus returns. There are lost people in every neighborhood. There are countless people ignorant of the biblical gospel. There are many who need to be discipled. However, you can not compare the needs in America with the needs in other places. America is reached, which means there is a large, sustainable population of Christians that can teach, preach, evangelize, and reproduce biblical churches. Any human being in America can freely seek the true God. He can get a free Bible in many places. He can walk into a church on any corner. He can listen to free sermons on the radio or the internet. There is absolutely nothing hindering him from seeking God, but himself.
 
On the other hand, there are unreached and even un-contacted people groups all over the world who have never once heard the name Jesus, and have never heard of a Bible. Generations of these people around the world live and die without the saving knowledge of the gospel. They have a knowledge of God through creation, but only enough to know that God exists, not enough to be saved. There are many countries where there is no access to the gospel. Even if the people want to seek God, they can't. I don't know all the details about other countries, but I do know some of them in Peru. 
 
Even though by some people's standards, Peru is a reached country. The reality is that there are countless people who have never heard the gospel or of the name of Jesus. I have encountered both in the Amazon jungle and the remote Quechua villages of the Andes. Christianity in Peru is largely represented by the Catholic church, which is far from anything representing biblical Christianity, and the charismatic church, which for the most part preaches a watered down gospel and health, wealth, and prosperity. The majority of Peruvians could not tell you what the gospel is if you asked them the question. They live in superstition and loyalty to tradition. In the more remote parts of Peru there is still persecution for faith in Jesus or the people have no access to the gospel at all. I was in a Quechua village only one hour outside of Cusco and asked a lady if she knew about Jesus. She said she heard the name, but didn't know much about Him. Even though she lives an hour from the gospel, she has only been to the big city of Cusco twice in her life. 
 
To say “It is hard to justify going across the world while there is such a need right in front of us”, is to live in disobedience to the Great Commission of Christ. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus commissions us. He says:
 
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
There is nothing in this command about staying home. I understand that the imperative (command) is not on the word “Go”, but on the word “make.” Jesus assumes that His disciples will obey Him by going into the world to make disciples. The first could read: As you are going into the world, make disciples. Going is not optional. Jesus tells us what to do as we are going into the world.
 
The biblical position on missions should not be to justify going, but justify not going. If you stay home, you better have a very good reason or you are being disobedient to the Great Commission. David Platt said: Jesus commands us to go. He has created each of us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I propose that anything less than radical devotion to this purpose is unbiblical Christianity.
 
The disciples were given this command from Jesus, but at first they stayed. God sent persecution, and they were spread over the face of the earth. As they scattered into all the world, they obeyed the Great Commission by proclaiming that Christ is King and making disciples. The gospel didn't stay in Jerusalem, where there were countless needs. All through the book of Acts we see the gospel going forth to the ends of the earth. 
 
Charles Spurgeon said, “Millions have never heard the name of Jesus. Hundreds of millions have seen a missionary only once in their lives, and know nothing of our King. Shall we let them perish? Can we go to our beds and sleep, while China, India, Japan, and other nations are being damned? We ought to put it on this footing, - not, “Can I prove that I ought to go?” but, “Can I prove that I ought not to go?”
 
Every Christian has a mandate to take the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation until all the world knows that Christ is the only King. Every Christian must be involved in taking the gospel of hope to places where there is no hope. We must question our salvation if we have no concern for the gospel going to the nations. Again, Spurgeon said: I remember one who spoke on the missionary question one day saying, “The great question is not ‘Will not the heathen be saved if we do not send them the gospel?’ but ‘are we saved ourselves if we do not send them the gospel?
 
Are you not involved in the Great Commission because it takes sacrifice? The pioneer missionary, Paul said, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). Paul was willing to throw himself in Hell for the sake of the gospel if only some were saved. Should not this be our attitude? Should we not risk everything for the sake of taking the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth? 
 
To justify not being involved in international missions is sin. Oswald J. Smith said that “any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist.
 
How are you involved in the Great Commission? What has it cost you? I will end with a challenge from a book called Paul, Missionary Theologian by Robert L. Reymond. He challenges us:
 
“Now you the reader must decide whether you will become a part of the continuing conquest of the gospel. Will you seriously face the demands of the Great Commission and your responsibility to it? Will you make yourself available to the Lord Jesus Christ for cross-cultural ministry? Before you decide to stay at home and involve yourself in some work here, you must first be able to give yourself good reasons why you may stay at home. Cross-cultural ministry, I would submit, should be given first priority in your thinking. Only when the Lord has made it clear that he does not want you to involve yourselves cross-culturally should you then decide to stay at home.”

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Chembo - To Live and Die Without Ever Hearing the Name of Christ

After over 50 hours traveled by plane, bus, car, truck, and boat, we returned safely from another trip to the jungle. Wehrner, a good friend named Anthony, and I made up the team for this trip. We taught and preached in the mountain town of Jauja, the jungle town of Satipo, and the Ashaninka village of Chembo. The church in Satipo is progressing very well and we saw huge improvements. We also were very encouraged by the work in Chembo. It seems that after two years, we are starting to see some fruit from the gospel. 
 
The first trip that we took to Chembo, we found a far less civilized place. We were the first white people to set foot in the village, everyone hid their children from us because they thought we came to steal their “grease”, and our Peruvian driver was taken captive by gun point because he wandered too far from the village. Now, after two years, the village of around 500 people accepts us with no problems. We have exclusive access in Chembo to preach and teach. We are now invited to share the gospel with hundreds of students in the school. We are invited to preach at the community center and to the whole village in the evenings. Chembo has even advanced in technology. The government installed solar panels and lights in each hut and now they have a cell phone tower in the village. This is the first cell tower in any village along the Tambo river that we know of. It is strange to be in a remote Ashaninka village and be able to call my wife each day.
 
Once again on this trip we discovered insurmountable needs for the gospel and heard some sad stories of people living and dying without ever hearing the name of Christ. I put this video together to sum up the trip, since pictures speak louder than words.
 
 

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

My New Book - The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation



The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation

A Daily Devotional in the Scriptures
 
Today, when we hear the word meditation we immediately associate the term with a New Age practice. Sadly, the spiritual discipline of meditating on the Scriptures has become uncommon among Christians while in contrast the blending of eastern mysticism with mainstream Christian thought has risen to prominence. True, biblical meditation on the Scriptures has been replaced with a self-centered and mystic spirituality.  Overall this spiritual practice has faded with the Puritans. I have found such meditation, understood in a biblical and meaningful way, brings blessing, joy, and spiritual growth. Many Christians read the Bible each day but don't meditate on it. A lack of meditation often results in lack of profit gained from devotions. Many times during devotions, without meditation, the Christian finishes in the same condition in which he started.

I wrote The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation: A Daily Devotional in the Scriptures with two purposes in mind. First, I want to teach people how to meditate on the Scriptures in a meaningful way, after the pattern of the Puritans. Second, I purposefully use a daily devotional format so readers will begin to discipline themselves in meditating on one passage of Scripture each day. Rather than just write about the Puritan form of meditation, I provide practice through meaningful daily devotions. By the end of the book, after meditating for an entire year, the reader will be trained in one of the most important spiritual disciplines.  

I want to recover the lost spiritual discipline of meditation. In doing so, I hope to encourage Christians to grow in grace and truth and to savor the spiritual blessings of God’s Word.

Check out the buying options here:.


http://spiritualdisciplinemeditation.weebly.com/purchase.html
 


Endorsements

The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation is a foundational resource that will benefit every believer's walk with the Lord. I recommend it for all those who seek to walk faithfully and see His power to transform their lives through His Word.
-M. David Sills, D.Miss., Ph.D.

Scott Doherty has written a masterpiece on Christian meditation! Knowing and communing with God should be the greatest goal of every human being. This book gives the reader the necessary tools and encouragements to achieve that lofty goal. The pages you are about to read are deeply rooted in the scriptures, they are centered on Christ and are historical in their approach to cultivating an intimate relationship with the Living God.  
Micah Tuttle, Missionary, Peru

In a world of artificial urgency and marketed chaos The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation: A Daily Devotional in the Scriptures is a potent antidote to the roaring pace of life and “bogus spirituality.” Scott graphically warns that many times “without meditation, the Christian finishes (devotions) in the same condition in which he started.” Working through this devotional guide shatters the possibility of this happening.
Joel McCutcheon, Campus Chaplain, The Spanish Language Institute, San Jose, Costa Rica
 
The Puritans were experts at doing what some of them called, “The art of holy meditation”. By this, they referred not to the anti-biblical mysticism of Eastern Religion in which one empties his mind of all thoughts, but to the biblically-mandated practice of saturating one’s mind and thoughts with the truth of Scripture so as to think God’s thoughts after Him. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life and a million and one things that distract our minds from what is truly important, Scott Doherty reminds us that “one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). He does this by calling us to return to the old paths, to the discipline of flooding our minds with the light of God’s Word so that our hearts and lives will be impacted by the power of truth as we draw near to God in intimate communion with His Word. Your soul will be refreshed if you take heed to the burden of this book.
Josef Urban, Missionary, Mexico

This is not just a devotional book to add to your quiet time. It models and teaches the spiritual discipline of biblical meditation. It will encourage and challenge you daily. In addition it will guide you to apply historically tested methods of learning God’s Word and growing in a deeper relationship with Him.
Scott Dollar, Preaching Pastor, The Way, Clarksville, Tennessee
 
Scott’s new devotional book is a wonderful addition to my personal devotional library and will be introduced to my church as well. It is rich, deep and thought provoking and is a wonderful tool to use in training Christians of any age in the spiritual discipline of meditating on God’s word.
Paul Lackey, Pastor, Living Faith Baptist Church
 
The Bible clearly teaches that what every believer needs is to have more faith. But it also promises that the fountain where he can find it is the Bible itself. It is through the constant reading, memorization, and meditation of the Scriptures that God promises to give us the faith we need for our daily sanctification. This is why this book is so important. It will help every christian understand, desire and know how to grow in the spiritual discipline of meditation of the Scriptures. He provides his reader with what has become his personal practice and discipline and shares it with the goal of helping them grow in holiness by meditating daily on the Scriptures. I highly recommend this book to you.
Eduardo Flores, Pastor, Iglesia Bautista Reformada (Reformed Baptist Church) Los Lagos, Costa Rica.
 
In a day where emotionally driven and mystical devotional books abound, this book drives us back to the Scripture where we belong. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart”. In like manner, this book calls us to slow down, take small bites, and chew well. I thank the Lord for the ministry of this dear brother and pray this book draws you closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
John Wallace
 
I was saved over thirty years ago and played the "quiet time" game for many years. I would set my alarm clock and drag myself out of bed...or I hit snooze or just turned the alarm off completely. This was my pattern for the next eighteen or nineteen years. Until Christ changed my heart. The grace that saves is also the grace that sanctifies. Here's my story.
 
On April 3, 2003 at 5:30 in the morning, Christ gave me a heart to pursue him. I was already saved but that morning, he poured his grace over me and gave me a desire to be begin the day alone with him. It has been a rare morning that I have not been able to spend 45 minutes to two hours, sometimes more, in the word and in prayer. I share this carefully because it is all of grace. But I want others to know it is possible, and brings great joy and satisfaction in Christ alone. It's not me, it's not an act of the will, it is pure sovereign intervention in the life of a believer because he is a kind, loving and merciful God. The first 18 years of "quiet time" were all fleshly efforts and that's why I failed. The intention was good but my motives were selfish and therefore sinful.
 
It is with great pleasure I recommend this book by Scott Doherty. He has given us a wonderful tool that by the power of the Holy Spirit, will draw you into the word in a beautiful way. Meditating on Christ and his word is a great gift of God and he has provided, through Scott, a most useful resource.
 
As you begin, let me encourage you to pray II Corinthians 12:9a and ask Christ to crush your own sinful efforts and lead you to rest in him. Plead his mercies, die to self and he will grow you in grace through the word and prayer.
Larry Chandler, Elder, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Atlanta Georgia
 
We live in a day of superficial knowledge and fast answers. What we need is to slow down and immerse ourselves into Gods Word. Brother Scott Doherty’s book “The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation” provides a helpful method on how to dig deep into Gods Word, while nourishing the believer’s soul. I highly recommend this book, as it is beneficial for both personal and family devotions.
Sean Banks, Pastor, Providence Church of Williston, North Dakota
 
Many years ago, I wrote to a friend in Caracas asking him for prayer because I felt I was not overcoming sin in my life. My friend´s reply was: How is your devotional life? I have read books about spiritual disciplines being aware of their importance in our spiritual growth. I even recommended those books, but I still was fighting to apply what I knew was the right thing to do. By the grace of God I eventually learned to find delight in the presence of God through prayer and meditation of the Word. A devotional book like this would have been a great help in those days of struggling because it lets you practice what you are learning. It is my desire and prayer that our Lord use this excellent devotional to show people how to find the treasures hidden in the holy meditation of the Bible.
Alexander León, Pastor, Iglesia Bautista Reformada (Reformed Baptist Church) Los Lagos, Costa Rica

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

September Trip to the Jungle

We are heading back into the jungle in September.  We have a very busy trip planned with a lot of travel and a ton of teaching and preaching.  The schedule is below for those who would like to pray for us.
 
September 11th - Fly from Cusco to Lima.  Take the night bus for 6 hours to Jauja.
 
September 12th - Arrive in Jauja around 6am.  Teach a group of pastors and leaders on the function of the local church and how to prepare a sermon.  In the evening, Wehrner preaches.
 
September 13th - Spend the day driving to Satipo.  Scott preaches the evening service.
 
September 14th - Wehrner preaches the morning service in Satipo.  Discipleship the rest of the day with Miguel.
 
September 15th - Spend the entire day traveling to the village of Chembo, arriving by boat after dark.  Wehrner preaches in the evening.
 
September 16th - Teaching the leaders in Chembo throughout the day.  Scott preaches in the evening.
 
September 17th - Teaching the leaders in Chembo throughout the day.  Wehrner preaches in the evening.
 
September 18th - This will be the longest day.  Leave Chembo by boat early in the morning.  Drive eight hours by truck to Satipo.  Take the night bus to Lima for 10 hours.
 
September 19th - Arrive in Lima.  Fly back to Cusco.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Espinar, Laborers, and a sickening story from the Isrealita cult

I once again find myself overwhelmed with the burden of having an immense amount of need and very few laborers.  We traveled to Espinar today to visit, encourage, and talk about how we might help a new church about five hours from Cusco up in the mountains. 
 
With a population of around 30,000, Espinar sits at 13,000 feet in the Andes.  It is a very difficult town because half the town is involved in cults.  There are 10,000 Seventh Day Adventists and 1000 Israelitas, not to mention the stronghold of the Mormon church.  We heard a very disturbing story about the evil of the Israelitas in Espinar, which is in the video below.
 
This little church started when Jorge Trujillo and his friend left the Iglesia Evangelica Peruano (IEP) that they were part of because it started compromising their doctrine.  The IEP made an alliance with the Presbyterian church USA to promote gay clergy.  They started learning sound doctrine with no other books other than a Bible, which is sufficient.  They have learned a lot and desire fervently to learn more.  Jorge, who is 26 years old, asked us a lot of questions about the function of a church and preaching.  We talked a long time about expository preaching and church government.  Even though they preach the gospel in the midst of great opposition, they only asked us to pray for more laborers to bring in the harvest. 
 
Our church will be getting to know these guys a lot more over the next few years and helping them with resources and maybe some training.  Again, we beg God for laborers.  I could put 14 families in greatly needed places tomorrow if we had churches that were willing to send, and Christians who were willing to go.  The video below is of our trip.
 
 

Thursday, July 31, 2014

The Israelite Cult of Peru

La Iglesia Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal (The Israelite Church of the Universal New Covenant) started in Peru and is growing rapidly throughout South America. As you read through the doctrine of this bizarre cult, you will see similarities with other cults such as the Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses, and various others. This is one of the most bizarre cults in South America.

The Israelite cult started in the jungles of Junin. Perú as a break off of the Seventh Day Adventist church when the founder, Ezequiel Ataucusi Gamonal, received a revelation from God to restore the alliance with man.  They are not of Jewish descent, but Peruvian

Doctrine
The Isrealitas believe that when the Catholic church abandoned the truth, the true church has been dead and in darkness until 1955 when Ezequiel received his revelation. They believe that the church is only alive in their movement. 

Ezekiel claimed to be the patron saint through his predecessors Moses and Jesus. He declared that Peru was the “chosen nation”, and the place where the New Jerusalem would descend to at the end of the world. According to Isrealita beliefs, the Incas were not pagans, but prophets of God. 

Ezekiel is referred to as the Messiah and boasts of the titles “My Lord”, “The Man”, “The Pastor of pastors”, “The Son of Man”, “The Only Begotten of God”, “Israel”, “The New Inca”, and “The New Moses”. Ezekiel claimed to be the reincarnation of Christ and is called the Christ of the West, while Jesus is called the Christ of the East. Ezekiel even claimed to be above Jesus by being the fleshly form of the Holy Spirit. 

According to the followers, there are four generations of judgment. The first generation was with Noah and the flood; the second generation was with Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah; the third generation is the Isralitias today. This generation will last 2000 years and after the years are ended there will be seven years of punishment. In the 1990's the Peruvian Israelitas believed the end of the 2000 years were coming to an end. 

The Israelitas hoped that Ezekiel would put on the famous red tunic and begin to preach. Ezekiel predicted that at the end of the third generation, he would put on the red tunic and preach for 1260 days. At the end of these days he would be crucified by the Catholic church. The antichrist would rise to power soon after his death. Ezekiel's body would remain unburied for three days and then the Holy Spirit would come to carry him away. 

The Israelita beliefs were shaken when Ezekiel died in the year 2000 from a heart attack. The Israelitas made some changes to their doctrine and appointed Ezekiel's son, Ezequiel Jonás Ataucusi Molina, (I will call him Jonás from this point on) to take his place. Ezequiel is buried in Lima today and his grave is a special place of pilgrimage for the Israelitas. Today, the Israelitas pray to to the dead Ezekiel to provide their needs and they believe that his son Jonás is omnipresent and forgives sins.

Since the time of Ezekiel's death and the succession of Jonás, it is believed that Jonás will fulfill the role of Ezekiel at the end of the third generation. After he is carried away by the Spirit, Jesus Christ will supposedly descend from Heaven with countless angels with chariots of fire to rescue the true Israelitas, who will be all gathered in a specific place. White clouds will descend from the chariots to determine the thoughts of the people. Only those who think of only God will be taken in the chariots to Canaan, the promised land, for 1000 years.

The life in Canaan will be different. There will be no commerce, marriage, or procreation during the thousand years. Everyone will speak Arabic. Everyone will be like angels and never age. They spend their time farming and no one can enter the land. The wicked generation that cannot enter Canaan will be vampires. The Israelitas that never made the cut to enter Canaan are counseled to flee for the jungle during the thousand years and build their own “promised land” to escape judgment. 

At the end of the thousand years the chariots of fire return and take the Isrealitas to other planets.
 

The Israelite cult bases their beliefs on the Bible, but this “special” interpretation can only be made know to the person by the Holy Spirit when they first believe.

Other Strange beliefs
  • God is Peruvian.
  • God took on the form of various Inca kings over time and eventually became Ezekiel.
  • The ten commandments of the Incas are hidden in Machu Picchu and have not yet been discovered.
  • Peru is holy ground.
  • Ezekiel is the vicar of the Holy Spirit and infallible.
  • The world would be destroyed in the year 2000 with exception to the Amazon jungle. Obviously this did not happen but the Israelitas claim it did happen, but you must see it spiritually.
  • Ezekiel would be the president of Peru. Of course, this did not happen either. The Israelitas claim it did happen, but you must see it spiritually.
  • Ezekiel would die and then raise from the dead three days later. Never happened. the Israelitas claim it did happen, but you must see it spiritually.
  • Ezekiel will return to the earth again in 2000 years and take his followers with him in mototaxis.
  • The Israelitas evangelize throughout Peru and South America by preaching in plazas dressed in sack cloth and always with a beard.
Advancement
This may seem like a joke, but hundreds of thousands of people are being deceived into following this cult. It may not be surprising today, but even some “evangelicals” are calling this cult a branch of Protestantism. The Israelita cult is advancing rapidly through South America by targeting uneducated and isolated people in the jungles and mountains. I have seen the Israelitas preaching in the plazas of small towns outside of Cusco, and I know people who are part of the cult. 

Please pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ will demolish the strongholds of the devil in Peru.

Monday, July 28, 2014

18 Exhortations to the Church



The word "one another" comes up in exhortations in the New Testament.   Here are 18 exhortations to the Church to encourage us to function the way the Body of Christ was intended to function.
  1. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10).
  2. Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16).
  3. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God (Romans 15:7).
  4. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Corinthians 11:13).
  5. ...through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
  6. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
  7. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
  8. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
  9. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).
  10. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16).
  11. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)
  12. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9)
  13. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10)
  14. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7)
  15. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:26).
  16. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (Colossians 3:9).
  17. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers (James 4:11).
  18. Do not grumble against one another, brothers (James 5:9).

Friday, July 25, 2014

HeartCry Conference in Lima

Eddie, Me, Joe, Luke
We had the great privilege of being invited to the HeartCry Missionary Society pastors conference in Lima this week.  Joe Martinez and I flew to Lima on Monday to join pastors from all around Peru and Argentina.  We had such sweet fellowship with old and new friends.  We also heard great preaching from some of the pastors and from the main conference speaker, Sugel Michelen.  Sugel is an outstanding preacher from the Dominican Republic.  Upon trying to enter Peru he discovered that the visa laws had changed, and he was unable to enter the country.  He was still able to teach at the conference through Skype. 
 
Joe, Esteban, Me, Nicolas
We met some great brothers in Christ, as well as many new contacts throughout Peru.  More opportunities presented themselves for us to expand out work as well.   Although we met very godly brothers in Christ, we met to of the most Christ-like people I have met.  Nicolas Serrano, a HeartCry missionary in Argentina, and his friend Esteban Toloza both pastor a church in Argentina called Iglesia Familia de la Gracia (Grace Family Church).  These two men are truly men whom the world is not worthy.  They both preached during the conference and we were so encouraged as well as challenged.  Nico and Esteban reflected Christ in everything they did from preaching to conversation.  Please check out the work they are doing in Argentina and pray for these dear brothers.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Ashaninka People Hear the Bible in Their Native Language



 
 
The above video is of our trip to the jungle when we gave the village of Chembo a proclaimer.  The proclaimer is an audio Bible in their native language of Ashaninca.  It can be charged by electricity, solar, or by winding a crank.  Many of the people can't read or write, and the people who do read, don't do it very much.  Hearing the Bible in their native language made them understand so much better.

Monday, July 7, 2014

The Joy of Peruvian Immigrations?!

I thought would write a post about what we frequently must deal with in Peru, concerning visas.  Just to stay living in Peru it takes a lot of paper work.  I won't even begin to tell you the six month process of obtaining a resident visa in Peru.  I will just explain our current situation so you will have an idea of what most missionaries go through on a regular basis.
 
After obtaining our visas, we must now pay two types of taxes each year.  This can be a long process.  When we tried to pay the Prorroga tax for our kids this year, we were told that Peru changed the law.  They made a new rule stating that if you are married to a Peruvian and have children, you must show the children's birth certificates each year.  When they wrote the law, they messed up, and now it states that all people with resident visas must show a birth certificate for their children.  The copy of the birth certificate cannot be more than a year old as well.  This set us in action to perform the following steps.
 
  1. Buy and order new copies of birth certificates from the States for our three kids.
  2. Send the new birth certificates to the Secretary of State in the State of each birth certificate.
  3. The Secretary of State apostilles (certifies) each birth certificate and sends it to my parents.
  4. We wait until someone is coming to Peru to ensure our expensive and important documents arrive securely. 
  5. Documents arrive in Cusco.  We find out they need to be translated to Spanish by an official government translator.  We search all over Cusco and find there are none.
  6. We send the birth certificates to a friend in Lima who stands in line for a long time and gets our documents translated for us.  We pay lots of money and he sends them back to Cusco.
  7. Next we must print out another form, fill in the information, and get it notarized.
  8. We fill out another form, make many copies of passports and Peruvian visas, deposit money in the bank, and then wait in line for hours.
  9. We then find out our oldest son's passport is expired and we can't pay his visa, nor can he leave the country until he gets a new passport.
  10. I call the Embassy in Lima and they explain the process.  We must get his birth certificate, take pictures, make an appointment at the Embassy in Lima, and then fly to Lima to start the process.
  11. Once they accept all our documents, we have to wait 15 days and then fly back to Lima to pick up the new passport in person.
  12. We then have to make another appointment at Immigrations in Lima so we can get the resident stamp that is in the expired passport transferred to the new passport. 
  13. Once this step is done, we fly back to Cusco to start the visa tax process over. 
We must do all of this before October when we go to the States or Chase will not be coming with us.  The funny thing about Peruvian law is it always changes.  Just when you get the process figured out, they change or make a new rule. 
 
This is just one of the many things that take up so much of our time and energy living in Peru.  All we can do is trust in God, move forward, and laugh.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Jungle, Building, and a Funny Well Story

I will be going to the jungle tomorrow for a week to translate for a medical campaign.  I will be going with our friends, who are staying with us, Jake and Jaynie Chandler, as well as close to 100 more people.  I believe around 65 medical doctors and students are coming from the United States.  We will be going to Puerto Maldonado, which is in the Amazon east of Cusco.  I believe the main tribal people in the area are the Manú people group.  The Church the doctors are working with in Puerto Maldonado is bringing in different villages each day for medical care.  We will have the opportunity to share the gospel with tons of people!  Please pray for us this week.
 
At our Church in Cusco, we have been building offices again.  Because of the growing Church, we have been looking for a bigger building.  We found one a little bigger right next door from the same owners as our current building.  We got it for the same price, but we must build again.  We are so grateful to God for the growing Church and the new building.
 
We have not been working much at the land because we have been so busy in the ministry.  We did, however, try and dig a well.  Like everything in Peru, to do something legally takes a lot of paperwork and money.  We had to hire an engineer to do a hydro-geological study as part of the paperwork.  We must pay this guy about $1500 to do drill test holes and write a report on his findings.  This sounds very scientific, but this man's science involved walking around our property and looking for wet spots.  He insisted there was water and suggested to dig a well by hand.  I opted for hiring a backhoe.  The backhoe dug two, 15 foot holes and found nothing.  We are now back at the drawing board.  There is only one guy in Cusco with a drill rig to make a real well and he charges a fortune.  I would hire him if I knew we could find water, but he uses the same scientific method as the engineer. The driller will literally show up at our land and ask us where he should drill a hole. 

Saturday, June 14, 2014

How do you answer a fool in his folly?

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.  - Proverbs 26:4-5

These two verses have been used by atheists and skeptics to say there are contradictions in the Bible. This, however, is not the case. These verses teach two appropriate ways to answer the arguments of the foolish. We are told not to answer a fool according to his folly, which means we are not to stoop to his level and mimic his foolishness. If the fool exalts himself, we should not respond by boasting about ourselves. If the fool slanders, lies, mocks, and utters all kinds of evil against us falsely, we should not resort to the same tactics. If the fool reacts instantly in his emotions, we must patiently pray about our response.
 
On the other hand, we must avoid the temptation to ignore the fool, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Sometimes if we remain silent and don't answer the fool, he becomes justified in his folly and his foolishness only increases. It takes great discernment to know which position should be held in each situation.
 
When we think the point of an argument is to win at all costs, we fall into the same folly as the fool. We can be completely right about a matter, but handle the discussion in such a poor, sinful way that we have already lost because we fell into the trap of folly, and have become a fool. A good principle to follow when discerning how you should answer a fool in his folly is to not respond immediately, but to wait and pray for three days. Often times your potential response will radically change after three days when your emotions subside. After seeking God in prayer, studying how Christ responded to fools in their folly, and letting time pass, you will have far greater discernment of how to answer the fool, and therefore glorify God.

Monday, May 26, 2014

A Great Response

The response to the gospel at the medical campaign in Simataucca was outstanding. We have four pages of people who want house visits to know more about Jesus. The people had little or no understanding of the gospel. Praise God.  However, now the real work begins.  We will start visiting the village soon and see how God is working.
 




 

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Medical Campaign in Simatauca

Last week we spent some time in Simatauca, the Quechua community where we are building our house. We were invited to their 24th anniversary celebration. We took advantage of it so that we could announce the medical campaign that we will have there this week. Our church is working with La Fuente clinic, which is a missionary medical clinic in Cusco. We have been friends with these doctors before we even arrived in Cusco. They offered to help us with the community through this medical clinic. Medical clinics are great for building relationships and trust to introduce the biblical gospel for the first time. A team of doctors from Alabama have arrived and we will hold the clinic on this Wednesday and Thursday.
 
The community has a mixture of Catholicism and Andean beliefs, which is common amongst the Andean people.  Every since the Spaniards forced Catholicism on the Inca, the Quechua Indians adopted some of the Catholic beliefs to avoid being destroyed but they also kept many of their animistic beliefs. What has occurred is a complete syncretism of Catholicism and the Incan mythology. All kinds of Christian symbols and rites are used every year, but they only reflect the hidden Andean religious meanings. For example, praying to the Virgin Mary might satisfy Inti, the god of the Sun. Pachamama, the mountain god and god of earth, provides fields with fertility and allows the farmers to reap the blessings. Yet, on the top of that mountain that is worshiped is a wooden Cross—there to symbolize the blessing of Pachamama. There is very little distinction between the two religious systems and neither are the pure forms of what they were.
 
 
Everyone speaks Quechua and Spanish is their second language. We will have Quechua people there to help translate. Please pray for us and the doctors as we care for their physical needs and their spiritual needs by sharing the gospel with them. We are praying that God will work in at least one family that will be willing to start meeting on a regular basis to study the Bible. To our knowledge, the biblical gospel has never been preached here.