Theophilus Ministries

(ESPANOL ABAJO)

“Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.” (Psa 33:22)

Our hope is in the inevitable coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will take us out of this God forsaking world to our real dwelling place in heaven.  However, as we wait for Him to come we need to obtain His mercy so that we can endure.  There is no progression in Christianity, no lofty spiritual heights we achieve as we mature in the faith; but rather there is simply an increase in the knowledge that we are utterly useless without our Lord and His sufficiency.

Spiritual maturity is not measured on how much we know or do BUT rather on how quickly we abandon our own devices to rely on the Lord’s sufficiency. Isaiah said it best when he declared “LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us.” (Isa 26:12) We need to lean on the Lord’s strength to accomplish what is set before us, remembering that it is only through His power that we can succeed.

May the Lord grant us all mercy today as we wait for His coming.

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“Sea tu misericordia, oh Jehová, sobre nosotros, Como esperamos en ti.” (Sal 33:22)

Nuestra esperanza está basada en la venida inevitable del Señor Jesucristo, quien nos va a sacar de este mundo impío a nuestras moradas verdaderas en el cielo.  Sin embargo, mientras esperamos su venida necesitamos obtener su misericordia para perseverar.   No hay progresión en el cristianismo, no logramos sabiduría elevada cuando maduramos en la fe; Mas bien, hay un aumento del conocimiento de nuestra impotencia y nuestra necesidad para el poder y la suficiencia de Dios.

La madurez espiritual no se mide en cuanto sabemos o hacemos SINO en cuanto tiempo demora antes de abandonar nuestras estratagemas para depender de la suficiencia del Señor.  Isaías lo dijo mejor cuando declaro “Jehová, tú nos depararás paz; porque también obraste en nosotros todas nuestras obras.” (Isa 26:12)  Necesitamos apoyarnos en la fuerza de Dios para cumplir con lo que nos presenta la vida, recordando que solo por su capacidad pudiéremos tener éxito.

Que nos dé el Señor toda misericordia hoy en día mientras esperamos su venida.

Devotional Ramblings, Spanish christian living, christianity, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, mercy, patience, Psalms

(ENGLISH BELOW)

“Por esto orará á ti todo santo en el tiempo de poder hallarte: Ciertamente en la inundación de muchas aguas no llegarán éstas á él.” (Sal 32:6)

El impío cree en su corazón que hay bastante tiempo para poner las cosas en orden para con Dios y por eso pude dejar ese asunto para más tarde.  No obstante, los que entendemos cuanto necesitamos un Salvador no demoramos en agarrar a Jesus en el momento que tenemos la oportunidad. Que bendición que podemos hallar el Dios que creyó el cielo y la tierra PERO no va a ser así por siempre.  Fíjense que cuando el Señor venga a recoger su iglesia el poder del Espíritu Santo, que actúa por ella, se irá también.  Ya no estará el que pica y trae los corazones de los que no creen a la salvación.

La gracia de Dios hacia el hombre no va a ser libre por siempre.  Agárrale mientras puede ser hallado porque en el día del juicio los que lo buscarán no lo va a encontrar.

“No os engañéis: Dios no puede ser burlado: que todo lo que el hombre sembrare, eso también segará. Porque el que siembra para su carne, de la carne segará corrupción; mas el que siembra para el Espíritu, del Espíritu segará vida eterna. No nos cansemos, pues, de hacer bien; que á su tiempo segaremos, si no hubiéremos desmayado.” (Gal 6:7-9)

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“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.” (Psa 32:6)

The wicked believes in his heart that there is plenty of time to get right with God and therefore it can be put off until tomorrow.  However, those of us who understand how much we need a Savior and the grace of God do not delay in grabbing hold of the Jesus the minute we have the opportunity.  What a blessing it is that the God that created the heavens and the earth may be found by us but this will not always be so.  You see when the Lord comes to recover His church the active power of the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth as well and people’s hearts will not be “pricked” and drawn to salvation as they are now.

God’s grace towards man will not be the standard forever.  Grab a hold of Him while He may be found because in the Day of Judgment people will seek Him and they will not find Him.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Gal 6:7-9)

Devotional Ramblings, Spanish christian living, christianity, God, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, obedience, Psalms

We have uploaded some of the pictures of our latest trip check them out on our site on the “pictures” page link OR at photobucket for a more full featured album:

http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu84/swedendrift/Panama_july09/?albumview=slideshow

General Information, Panama Missions

Psa 31:19-20
(19)  Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!
(20)  You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

Regardless of what your situation is today, you can have the peace of mind to know that God wants to be a strong shield and a tower to protect you from harm.  As we commit ourselves in these last days to being completely focused on His will, we should expect to get undermined and slandered by those that reject God’s authority.  Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that those that are against the gospel “do not please God and are contrary to all men” (1Th 2:15).  They are contrary to all men because not only do they reject the Gospel but they desire that no one would receive it.

Unfortunately the opposition does not end here.  As you choose to move out into the calling that God has placed on your life you find that the strongest and most challenging opposition will come from within the church itself.  Whether this is due to misguided concern or envy, the result is the same and a very difficult obstacle to navigate.  In fact, I would say that these obstacles are impossible to navigate by ourselves; but we are not by ourselves.

The good news in all of this is that God has not abandoned us.  When we cry out, as David did at the beginning of this Psalm “In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness“, He answers our cry and delivers us.  Be encouraged today, know your God is not just able but willing to save you from the strife and chaos that surrounds us all.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” (Isa 26:3-4)

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Sal 31:19-20
(19) ¡Cuán grande es tu bondad, que has guardado para los que te temen, que has obrado para los que en ti se refugian, delante de los hijos de los hombres!
(20) De las conspiraciones de los hombres tú los escondes en lo secreto de tu presencia; en un refugio los pondrás a cubierto de los enredos de las lenguas.

A pesar de todo que pasa en nuestra vida hoy, podemos tener tranquilidad de espíritu en conocer que nuestro Dios quiere ser escudo solido y torre grande para protegernos de cualquier cosa que nos quiere hacer daño.  Mientras nos entregamos completamente a la voluntad de Dios in estos últimos días, debemos esperar que ellos que rechazan a la autoridad de Dios nos vayan a socavar y difamar.  En 1 Tesalonicenses Pablo nos dice que ellos que están en contra del Evangelio “no agradan a Dios sino que son contrarios a todos los hombres” (1 Tes 2:15).  Son contrarios a todos los hombres porque no solo rechazan al Evangelio pero quieren que nadie lo reciba.

Desafortunadamente la oposición no termina con ellos.  Mientras escogemos contestar la llamada que Dios nos ha puesto en nuestras vidas, descubrimos que la oposición mas fuerte y difícil viene de la iglesia misma.  Si esta oposición procede de consejo desacertado y de envidia, el resultado es lo mismo y un obstáculo my difícil de navegar.  Mejor dicho decir que estos obstáculos son imposibles de pasar solos; pero no somos solos.

Las buenas noticias en todo esto es que Dios no nos ha abandonado.  Cuando clamamos como hizo David al principio de este Salmo “En ti, oh SEÑOR, me refugio; jamás sea yo avergonzado; líbrame en tu justicia“, nos contesta y nos libra.  Alentate hoy; Sabe que Dios no solo puede pero QUIERE librarte del caos y conflictos nos rodean hoy en día.

“Al de firme propósito guardarás en perfecta paz, porque en ti confía. Confiad en el SEÑOR para siempre, porque en DIOS el SEÑOR, tenemos una Roca eterna.” (Isa 26:3-4)

Devotional Ramblings, Spanish christian living, christianity, God, holiness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Psalms, spiritual warfare, trials

We were up early today at 5:30 to grab the bus from David to Panama.  No problem getting tickets which only cost $12.50 for the 6 hour ride.  The bus was comfortable enough and with only one stop in Santiago for lunch we arrived at the main bus terminal in Panama by 2:30.

Anselmo and his son Augustin were at the terminal to pick us up. Anselmo is Gumercinda’s son, the lady from the  church near David.  We went to the mall which is next door and grabbed a quick cup of coffee and had some fellowship.  Since we had a few hours to burn Anselmo, who drives a chiva (bus) route downtown, took us to old town to check out the ruins and Costa del Este development.  There is a huge construction boom in Panama at the moment and construction is one of the best paying jobs anywhere between 3 dollars and up an hour.  We grabbed a couple of shirts and talked about some fund raising ideas for our next trip.  there are so many needs from Bibles and construction to sandals and pastoral training,  we need your help to help these people effectively.  After touring for an hour or so we headed to the airport.

After another emotionally rough goodbye with Anselmo and Cesar we checked in, got on the plane and headed home.  We arrived at midnight and my lovely wife picked us up at the airport.  I am glad to be home and sad to leave what has become a spiritual home to me.  I thank God for the love that he has given both James and I for these people.

Theophilus Ministries is now officially an incorporated organization.  We are going through the non-profit process, which will take a couple of months (probably quicker), so you can donate but your donations will not be tax deductible until we officially get our stamp of approval.  I encourage you all to participate in this ministry in any way you can:  Pray, encourage us, come down to Panama with us, and give materially to support the work the Lord is doing.  Generally speaking a trip costs around $1,200-$1,500 per head after all is said and done.  If you have a desire to come with us, donate or just want to chat about the work we are doing please write us at:

e-mail:  info@1john.com

Corporate Address:  3135 Sumatra Place, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Cell Phone:  Erick Lee (714) 553-5924, James Kissinger (714) 715-1687

Board of Directors for Theophilus Ministries:

Erick Lee

James Kissinger

John Duplissey

General Information