As we approach the end of this month a new chapter will start in the lives of some of my best friends.  Josh and Stacy Leigh Hutchens will return to Moldova to complete their 2 year appointment as missionaries.  As they arrive they will be working with young pastors in Moldova training them in New Testament Studies through the Eurasian Baptist Mission.   As I have contemplated their mission and prayed for them I am reminded of a hymn written by Albert Simpson (1904) that I love to sing:

To the regions beyond I must go, I must go
Where the story has never been told;
To the millions that never have heard of His love,
I must tell the sweet story of old.

To the hardest of places He calls me to go,
Never thinking of comfort or ease;
The world may pronounce me a dreamer, a fool,
Enough if the Master I please.

Oh, you that are spending your leisure and powers
In those pleasures so foolish and fond;
Awake from your selfishness, folly and sin,
And go to the regions beyond.

There are other “lost sheep” that the Master must bring,
And to them must the message be told;
He sends me to gather them out of all lands,
And welcome them back to His fold.

(Chorus) To the regions beyond I must go, I must go,
Till the world, all the world,
His salvation shall know.

It is an incredible thing that God is allowing Josh to teach New Testament to young church planters and pastors in a former communist country.  The vision of the school is amazing.  Not only are they training pastors for Moldovan churches but they are preparing missionaries to reach their neighboring countries.

Moldova is surrounded by the ’stan countries of the former Soviet Union.  Countries that are closed to missionaries and the Gospel.  Americans cannot penetrate their borders with the Good News of Jesus Christ.  However, a Moldovan national can pass through these borders freely and spread the Gospel as he goes.  Through sending trained church planters and pastors to unreached areas Josh and those who work beside him, are reaching people groups that were impossible to reach just a few years ago.

As Josh spends his day training new pastors, Stacy Leigh will spend her time raising their son and working with the staff at a camp for young people.  Over the years many young Moldovans have come to know Christ through the ministry of this camp.  Most of the pastors that are trained in the school in which Josh teaches are products of the camp in which Stacy Leigh will be working.  With each new generation of campers comes the opportunity for God to raise up more Christians and Church leaders.

Please pray for my friends as I have these past several months.  Pray that God would save more people in Moldova.  Pray that God will provide for my friends.  Pray that God will use them to send out more people to the dark and dying lands that surround the country in which they serve.

You can learn more about their ministry and how to support it at www.gospellife.org

Issue

Recently, while standing in the middle of a cornfield conversing with a farmer whom has been a committed Christian, Southern Baptist and a deeply spiritual man for nearly 20 years, the subject of general revelation came up.  “I just think if that tribe in Africa doesn’t have a chance to hear the Gospel then God will honor anyone of them who looks at creation, puts his faith in the fact that something out there is bigger than Him.  Yeah, God will let those people in heaven.” 

It is my proposal to prove that the general revelation given by God in nature and conscience is not enough to warrant salvation to individuals.  Furthermore, I intend to demonstrate that the proclamation of the Gospel is necessary for salvation. 

It has been my experience, on multiple occasions, to discover that many Southern Baptist church members have a very shallow and unorthodox view of the nature of general revelation, its purpose and abilities.  It is my hope that this paper can be used to defend the position that the proclamation of the Gospel is necessary in order for people to be converted, no matter their geographical, socio-economical or socio-religious situations.

(more…)

Let’s start with the pro’s first.  This type of ministry is good because it supplies a need to congregations who may not have the means to hire multiple staff members.  If a church has staff, generally in the absence of a pastor the staff would fill in.  A lot of SBC churches simply can’t afford this luxury.

It is also a good thing for congregations to be able to get a different perspective on the word of God.  Pastors, just like everyone else, can get in ruts and they have their own hobby horses and soap boxes.  This can, sometimes, lead to apathy in hearing on the part of the congregation.  Even the best pastor, who is very passionate, communicates very well in his own style and is very dedicated to Godly service can sometimes become dull.  It’s good to get a different perspective on the word in a different style.  It can stir the congregation and bring a breath of freshness into the church.  It’s always encouraging being used of God in this way. (more…)

I had the privilege of preaching the main service for Pastor Jose on Sunday.  The church was full and people were standing outside the gates that open out from  the sanctuary to the sidewalk listening intently to the Gospel.

I am amazed at the joy of the people in Mexico.  They have been very gracious and welcoming.  They worship with much joy and love in their hearts for God.

How you can pray.

• There have been a few of us who have been sick.  The weather is hot in the day and cools down considerably at night.  Please, pray that God will give us much grace in our health.
• Pray for the people of Playa Del Carmen.  Thousands of Mexicans per week are flooding into this city looking for work in resorts that can afford them a better life.  The mission field here is ripe.
• Pray for Antonio, our translator, he left his wife and children with his mother to come to Playa for work.  He desperately wants them to move here but is lacking the funds to make that work.

Here are a few pictures to share with you what we have been doing the last few days.

A  concrete form for columns that will support the roof of the church.

Pastor Jose’s office.  The rebar sticking out of the hole will be the corner support.

Stephen and myself digging the other hole for the the second corner pillar.  Stephen did more of the work but I had the most fun.

The top part is stadium seating.  You can see the concrete form that will eventually support the roof.  To fill the forms with concrete they mix it on the ground by hand and pack it to the forms in 5 gallon buckets. They have church under that during the meantime.  You can see the pews under the structure.

The salvation of my trip.  I was really starting to be a bit overwhelmed by tacos and mystery food.  This was a good choice for supper last night.

Hope you have enjoyed.  God is working here.

Today we just finished attending the 10am service of Filidelphia Baptist Church in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Sunday morning service is more like a Sunday School program from 10-12. After the service the church then feeds the children that come.

Please pray for me tonight as I preach during the evening service. The past few nights we have been evangelizing in the local park and inviting people to come to this service. Please pray that God will grant grace with the translator and that He will anoint the service.

I am sorry that I have not been able to post more to this point but internet access has been limited. However, I should have access from now to the end of the trip. So please come back and learn more about these precious brothers and sisters in Christ.

In Him,

Carlton

Here is a map to show you where we are.

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Pastor Jose told us last night that there are 2000 people per week flooding into Playa del Carmen looking for work. Please pray for this church. Pray for us as well. Tonight we will be helping the church with evangelism in the park for the revival meeting that we will have this week.

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Have a great day.

This passage of scripture has intrigued me for many years now as I’ve dealt with it in my mind. Several truths have jumped out at me recently as I have been meditating on it.

Many times this passage is used to exhort the church to become something they are not. It is used as a catalyst to stoke the fire of unity within the context of the local church. I have even heard preachers use it and say things like, “This is what Paul is telling us we need to strive for.” I believe that kind of preaching is needed. We should all strive for the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. However, in this particular passage of scripture Paul doesn’t exhort us, as a body, to become anything. He is not giving us direction or instruction. He simply states what GOD is doing in the midst of a real, true body of believers.

Look where all the action takes place and who is doing it. The conception of the body is found in the actions of God, “2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off(Gentiles) and peace to those who were near(Jews).” It was undoubtedly God who initiated the process of building this body, the “Holy Temple.” God is always the initiator in the building of His church. There wasn’t a rebellion in the ranks of Judaism that caused men to seek after God . Nor was there a discontentment in the sinful lives of the Gentiles that prodded them to run to the Saviour. Rather, it was God’s own determination and action that caused men to repent and believe in Him.

Notice as well that it was also God who grafted people with polar opposition together as one group. In doing so he formed a church. “19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ” The Jews and Gentiles didn’t have a conference one day and determine that they would start to seek after God and form a new religion. It was the sovereign hand of God that worked them together forming one body with one father. Prior to God’s actions there was no common unifying element in the lives of these 2 groups. But now because of what God has done they have: a common spirit, a common father, a common household, a common nature and a common citizenship.

Further, we recognize that God is not only the engineer of this construction process but he is the carpenter as well. Ephesians 2:21 says, “21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” It is God who is building the body. Precisely putting every piece into place so that it becomes a dwelling place that is worthy for God to dwell in. He is the master carpenter. He knows what materials are needed and useful. He knows how to fashion each piece so that it fits perfectly.

This passage is not one of exhortation for us to “do better” at being unified. Rather, it shows how God is building His church so that He can have a place to dwell among men. We should relish the fact and feel priviledged at what God is doing in our churches.