I’ve been reading through Acts and have come away with a few cool observations.
In the early days of the Church there wasn’t a roadmap for evangelism. It wasn’t like it is today, where there are books and tools to help us evangelize as effectively as possible. They were figuring it out as they went along. Flying by the seat of their pants. Plus, there wasn’t a Bible! It must have been hard for the original disciples to trust that new believers understood and shared correct doctrine. If it was me, I would have worried constantly that Jesus’ teachings were inadvertently being twisted.
How did they get past that?
I think it comes down to two things:
1. They lived in an oral culture, where literacy rates were low and information was passed by mouth. Because of this, extra emphasis was placed on accuracy of the details. They understood how easily ideas can be accidentally manipulated by the telephone game. They made an extra effort to ensure that everything they were teaching stayed true to the original words of Jesus.
2. More importantly, the Holy Spirit was in control. Several times throughout Acts you read about the Holy Spirit taking the wheel and leading the early Church. For example, the Spirit preventing paul from entering Asia in chapter 16. And with the Holy Spirit at the helm, they were surely spreading God’s intended message.
This is still the case today.
Mission work has an inherent risk to it. Whether it be physical danger, or just putting yourself out of your comfort zone. There’s no faith without risk. And there are a ton of uncertainties.
For example, every time I take a mission trip to Reynosa, I meet a lot of strangers. On my most recent trip I spent all day handing out food with a group I had never met. They were Texans, born in Mexico, that felt called to the mission field in Reynosa. Despite knowing next to nothing about them, there was an unspoken bond. Something about having a common goal and the same set of values, made them more trustworthy. Not saying I’d give them my wallet, but I was more than comfortable with hopping in their van to head to the first dispensa of the day.
I believe these types of relationships are enabled through the Holy Spirit. That it facilitates a seamless increase in Christian networks in order to further God’s will.
The original disciples had to trust that the Holy Spirit had things under control. That as long as they were staying true to Jesus’ message, things would turn out right. And now, it’s up to us to do the same.
I love the book of John. It gives us the most upfront, almost in person, view of Jesus out of all the Gospels. It’s like John was scribbling what Jesus was saying as the words came out of his mouth.
The Book of John also shows us how much modern Christians have in common with the disciples.
In chapter 14 Jesus grows quite frustrated with the disciples. After all the lessons he’s taught them and the miracles he’s performed, they still don’t realize he’s the Christ.
Philip said to him, “Lord show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
Some things never change. How often do we look past what God has put right in front of us?
It reminds me of the sermon I heard yesterday morning from my church here in Houston. One of the main points was “where your emotion lies, there also lies where you believe you will find peace”.
Wherever you invest your time, energy, and mental bandwidth is secretly where you think the answers are hidden. If you obsess over your weight to the point of sadness, deep down you think that having the perfect body will give you internal peace.
But where do we really find the answers? Look to John 14:6;
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me”.
There it is. In quotation marks. Jesus tells us the answer. He is the embodiment of God and the only way to make it off this earth alive. He’s in control.
It’s so simple that I think we can’t help but overcomplicate it. Leave it to us humans to shoot ourselves in the foot.
Wherever you’re at this week and whatever you’re struggling with, I hope that you’re able to take a moment to realize where your peace is found.
myself and 6 friends teamed up for a mission trip to the mountains of Saltillo, Mexico. A few of us traveled from New York, some from Illinois, and others were already in the south. We all made our way to our friends Bruce and Paula Hepburn of Mexico Missions, and they drove us south to Big Heart Orphanages’ campus.
While there, we were joined by Life Church of Lafayette from Louisiana, and collectively we completed several service projects for Big Heart Orphanage and a couple community outreach activities for the local village.
All in all, it was an incredible trip. We witnessed the hand of God in several ways and were spiritually rejuvenated for the year to come.
Watch the video below to get a taste of what our trip was like!
Big Heart Orphanage has put a ton of work into Colegio Regents
As mentioned before, this school year they will have over 400 kids from the primary to college level in attendance, and they continue to grow. They recently hired another preschool teacher and are currently seeking to hire an English teacher.
They are heavily involved in the community
Just this last month they held a cultural event where they served local dishes and showcased cultural dances.
They also held a festival to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day. Check out the mechanical bull in the background..
They look forward to a successful and studious year at Colegio Regents!
Big Heart Orphanage took a big step recently and decided God was calling them to open up a new location. This Summer marks one year that they’ve been at that location!
It’s called Big Heart Orphanage of the Mountains, for obvious reasons. They currently house just two children there, Andrea and Mateo, but they have a lot of confidence that they will grow, just like their Reynosa campus has.
“We have been praying and we know that many of you have also been in agreement, praying with us for each child that God is going to put in our care. We look forward to this new beginning here in the mountains.”
