Are we being a nieghbor?

Upon hearing of possibly another heroine overdose last night I began thinking. (I say this to fellow Christians). You and I need to be better neighbors. I know that I am making an assumption that many of us are not so please hear me out.

If we really belong to Christ, then the Gospel that we profess compels us to be the one that would stop by the side of the road and lift out of the pit the one who has been despised and rejected by those in society and by other "religious people." Do you and I know our neighbors? Do we spend time with those who are in danger?

Think for a second about those who are rejected, and yes even those who are rejected for their own wrongdoing. Are we "being neighbors" to them? Really? How many people do we know that are hopelessly caught in drug addiction or any other illegal or immoral activity? Are we sitting back waiting for them to fall beyond repair? Are we sitting back and waiting so that we can accuse? Are we sitting back until the day that we can see their faces on our arrest app, then post on facebook and say, "I knew that it would come to this, they got what they deserve!" Are we sitting back until they are dead? Friends, this is not Christ's example of a neighbor.

Perhaps our "hatered" is not so blatent, perhaps we are just avoiding people because we do not know what to do. This does not get us off the hook. We need to learn how to respond. We must pray for these people and get busy learning how to reach out to all people, regardless of anything they have done.

I hope that we might be encouraged by God's grace, to go to those that are hated, rejected by our society, even by many religious groups, and "be a neighbor" to these people.

Soli Deo Gloria


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Aunt Shirley's Funeral

Our family just returned from a weekend with family and friends as we celebrated the life of my aunt. She lived 73 years and will be greatly missed. Friends and family have asked me about parts of the funeral service. Some wanted to know about the quotations used. They included:

Reading of 1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV

Questions/Answers
During the funeral I mentioned two questions and answers from the Heidelberg Catechism. They were:

Question - What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer - That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Question - What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
Answer - Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.

Practicing Affirmation

With the close of 2012 upon us, I was thinking back about some of the books that I have read over the past year. There are were a few books that were very helpful to me. I would not suggest replacing your regular discipline of reading the Scriptures, but make time for you to read some good books as well. Two of those very special to me this past year have been.

E.M. Bounds - The Power of Prayer

Sam Crabtree - Practicing Affirmation

The latter of these two, "Practicing Affirmation" is by far the most helpful book that I have read this past year. It is available on Kindle for $3.03! Crabtree, one of the Pastors at Bethlehem Baptist Church, discusses the command, joy, and responsibility of affirming God-exalting qualities in others. If you are going to be in any sort of leadership, I would consider this one of the most basic books you should read. If you are a new Christian or have been walking with Jesus for years, you will find this book easy to read, challenging, and wonderfully helpful!


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Thoughts on Evangelism

I am convinced that it (The wall we erect between "us" - the Christians and "them" - the unbelievers, is often the reason why so many of us and so many of our churches are uninterested and ineffective in evangelism. An "us verse them" mentality can produce fear of the world, a condemning, even hateful attitude toward "sinners," a desire to retreat into the safe haven of our Christian institutions, and an insistence on personal separation from "sinners." If we do not know non-Christians in any personal depth, it is evident that the only evangelism that can take place is technique -based raids from behind the wall of the church into the "enemy-occupied territory" of the world. This is certainly not the kind of evangelism we read about in the New Testament. (Barrs 10-11)

I highly recommend the book by Jerram Barrs entitled "The Heart of Evangelism." This quote is taken from this work and I have found it to be a very convicting! I have greatly benefitted from this man's ministry, his writings, and his sermons.

What are your thoughts?

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Do they know us by the t-shirts that we wear?

For my fellow Christian friends - I was just reading an e-mail update from a well-run business that I oftentimes patronize. In reading their update it occurred to me that this business is seeking to become "all things to all people" that they might win (and I believe serve) their customers with their (in my opinion) worthy product. It then occurred to me how much I lack in modeling that I may become all things to all people that I might win some to Christ. Rather, it seems that it is far too easy for me to "hate some" that I might show others that I belong to Christ. To think this way certainly is to think against the plain teaching of the Scripture and certainly is not the way of Christ. Oh friends, let's learn new languages, let's enjoy people from other cultures, let's get to know people whose sin is an offense and not sin with them, but love them, give our lives for them, pray for them, and encourage them to seek Christ, while He may be found!

Let's become friends of sinners, let's love them genuinely...not because we want something! Let's value all people, regardless if they hate us, make fun of us, ridicule, or persecute us! Let's leave judgement and wrath to God and free ourselves to be a servant of all people! Pray for me, that I might grow in this!

Let's become all things to all people, not as an "end in itself" but that we might win some for Christ!




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Decision 2012 Facebook posts

Here are some thoughts concerning the 2012 elections.

To my fellow Evangelical friends: Wise people have said before that people will remember what we are excited about. I would challenge all of us tomorrow to think about what we have said about this USA election and specifically about who wins and who looses. Do people that see things completely different from us see the love of Christ in us? Are we standing for truth, in love? Is it absolutely clear that our hope is in Jesus Christ and not in any political party or presidential candidate? Have we spread gossip, slander, and misused other's names? If so, may we lead in repentance and pray that the change that this great nation needs, begins in you and me.

Other thoughts on Decision 2012: If you consider yourself a Christian, would you say that you love your enemy (aka - the political party/candidate with whom you disagree)? Would others believe you by the way you talk about them? Are we sure that the adds that we have seen accurately portray the other person? Are we sure that the gossip we have heard accurately portray the other person? Let's assume all the dirty things are true. Does that give us the right to "hate" them. Just think about the fact that the rest of the world is watching us to see whether or not the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real. We may say that we do not "hate" anyone, but speaking from personal experience, it is obvious to others when our words and actions say something totally different.


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Bible Reading Plan for 2013

Well, here we are almost at the end of the of another year. Reflecting on this past year, one of the greatest blessings for me has been my daily "read the Bible through" program. I have attempted many times before to stick with a plan, but...are you ready for this??? this is the first year that I will be completing the program.

Don't misunderstand...it has not come without falling behind, interruptions, etc., but it has been worth it. I highly recommend using the "You Version" application that is a free download from either Android or iTunes. This year I have used the Discipleship Journal in English. Next year, by God's grace, I want to try to read through the same plan in Spanish.

Why am I saying this to you? Well, I do believe that this same "read the Bible through" plan can benefit you too!!

Here are some other ideas for reading plans for free!

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/

Let's pray together for a 2013 dedicated to the reading, studying, meditating, and application of the Words of Christ!

In all things...Christ preeminent!

Aaron


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Some thoughts on prayer

Jerram Barrs, Professor at Covenant Theological Seminary, offers some great thoughts regarding the matter of where to begin with prayer. Here is a quote from his work "The Heart of Evangelism."

Recognizing our dependence on The Lord to bring people to faith in Christ, what should be the focus of our prayers? God has placed each of us in a "family" of those we love and those who love us--both actual family members and also the "family" of our close friends, the people whose lives have become closely intertwined with ours. Our first and perfectly appropriate desire will be to pray for these people whom we already love.


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In the beginning, God...

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

When I was young (I love it that I can say this now) and was growing up in a small country church, we had a Wednesday night Bible Study for "young people." Our Pastor's Wife, Ms. Fisher, lead the study faithfully each week. I look back and think about the main lesson that I remember above everything else. "In the beginning, God." This lesson started what would be a regular Bible study working through the book of Genesis.

It would be nice to tell you that at the time I saw the importance of such lessons. It seemed odd at the time. Why would she initiate a Bible study here? After all, there were more relevant topics to address. She should be talking about drugs, sex, and "worldly" music. We should be talking about things that "teenagers" need to hear. (Don't miss the point...I am not saying that there is never a place for addressing specific topics).

What I didn't realize is this is the exact lesson that teenagers needed to hear. You see, the Gospel begins with "In the beginning, God." Without starting there it is possible to rightly understand this world, yourself, problems, etc. By looking at the creation we are able to begin to understand some basic questions that everyone must answer. Questions like: "How did we get here?", "Is there a God?", "If there is a God, did He say anything?", "If God has spoken, what did He say?", "If he has spoken, does it really matter." All of those questions cannot be understood apart from the reality of the God who spoke in Genesis 1:1.

What I didn't know at the time and what Ms. Fisher did not know is her lesson some 20+ years ago would become one of my favorite lessons in all my life. Yes, because God has spoken, we can know the truth about Him, which gives light (knowledge and understanding) to how we got here, why we exist, what He has said, and why that matters! As I prepare to teach this very thing next weekend (In Spanish) I hope to relay this foundational instruction with the passion and zeal that was demonstrated to me and many others by this faithful teacher of the Word. Thank you Ms. Fisher for your faithfulness to our Lord over all these years!

In all things...Christ preeminent!


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US/Mexico Border update

As the group assigned to the US/Mexico border closes for this month, we would like to give you a quick, preliminary report.

First, our team was assigned to a congregation in San Juan (near Donna), Texas to conduct a Vacation Bible School (for all ages, including adults). We are very thankful to this congregation and their warm reception, hospitality, and hard work during the event. This congregation recently lost their building due to the lack of funds being able to provide necessary maintenance. They have been meeting in a member's home and have being going strong ever since.

Our first night of VBS there were 76 people present. Over 15 of them were adults many of which were not regular attendees of any church. On the second night three adults in the class made public professions of repentance of sin and faith in Christ Jesus. We are thankful for Iglesia Cristo El Rey for them to allow us to use their van this week to help with the transportation.

We have been blessed by the opportunity to share books and Bibles with different individuals. Through giving received others were provided with the Scriptures in the modern Spanish language. We also provided a soon to be married couple with a copy of Pipers "This Momentary Marriage." There are others who received various copies of other books by Sproul and Piper.

We will begin our return to the St. Louis area tomorrow afternoon following celebrating with our friends at Iglesia Cristo El Rey. We will share more information on the trip in the days to come.

Once again, we are thankful to each and every one of you that pray for us on a regular basis and for those who are able to "hold the rope."


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Updates from the Border and from Home

It has been a while since I have updated everyone, so here are a few thoughts on what all is going on at this time.

Outreach along the Border
Currently I am with a team of people who have accepted an assignment for 10 or so days to continue ministry along the US/Mexico border. During our discussion today (in the van) we were recalling ways that the Lord has blessed us and provided for us, specifically by the generous giving of so many here in Texas. I want you to know that they have taken care of all of us so very well. We are so blessed of the Lord for Miguel and all of his family and the extended family of Christ at the church in San Juan (Donna), Texas. We praise the Lord for them. Their hospitality and generosity has been such an encouragement to us and I ask that you pray for them and thank the Lord for his mighty provision through them!




Through your generous giving we have also been able to provide Bibles and good books to families with whom we have regular contact. We are thankful that it appears that they are getting connected with congregations and we are also seeing a hunger and a desire for the Word in their lives. Please continue to pray for the people that we have been visiting. Pray that the Lord would bless them with jobs, income, and by bringing them to salvation!

Tonight we will be having dinner with another family and also as a large group talking about the Scriptures together and praying with them. Please pray for this meeting as well as for a team of people that will be delivering a copy of "For your Joy" by John Piper (Spanish-edition) to every home in a small neighborhood on the US side of Reynosa, Mexico.

Other information from the Suttons
Our family will continue to seek the Lord for direction as to where we are to serve for the future. For now, please pray specifically for wisdom as to how to manage our household well, for Rachel as she is working again. This, as well as me being away from home during this trip has been hard on all three of us!

We want to be a blessing to the community in which we live and continue to work with others in partnering together in taking the Gospel to the Nations! For your continued support and encouragement, we are grateful!

In all things...Christ preeminent!

The Suttons


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Jesus wept” is the shortest and biggest verse in the Bible. It is he who goes forth weeping (not preaching great sermons), bearing precious seed, who shall come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. E.M. Bounds

What a great, refreshing word for this morning! Thoughts?



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Thoughts from this morning

This morning after prayer and reading through the Scripture, I turned my attention to reading through a chapter in E.M. Bound's marvelous work, "Power through Prayer." Though this well-known book had frequently been discussed and suggested, it really didn't catch my attention until recently. John Piper wrote an article about how this book had influenced some revisions in one of his books and how much this book meant to him. He also posted that the book was available as an e-book for $.99 so I thought "why not...I like having books available on the iPad and I just finished the one I previously purchased.

What I have found thus far is a much needed set of sermons. I recently figured out how you can copy and past from the book (I know...I'm new at this stuff) and wanted to share something with you below. I found this to be very challenging and helpful this morning. If you, my friend, are in any sort of leadership, I highly recommend this book to you. I am on the third chapter and the $.99 has been worth it already.

Below is an post from page 32 on the topic of dead orthodoxy (or knowing and preaching truth, but in such a way that it does not bring life, rather it brings death).

THE preaching that kills may be, and often is, orthodox—dogmatically, inviolably orthodox. We love orthodoxy. It is good. It is the best. It is the clean, clear-cut teaching of God’s Word, the trophies won by truth in its conflict with error, the levees which faith has raised against the desolating floods of honest or reckless misbelief or unbelief; but orthodoxy, clear and hard as crystal, suspicious and militant, may be but the letter well-shaped, well-named, and well-learned, the letter which kills. Nothing is so dead as a dead orthodoxy, too dead to speculate, too dead to think, to study, or to pray.

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Sunday morning thoughts

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" And stopping, Jesus called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:29-34 ESV)

This morning during our Bible study we discussed this passage throughout a study on the questions that the Lord Jesus Christ asked during His earthly ministry. Before I note anything on this passage, I do wish to say that I am so thankful for Kurt who leads this study each week. The brothers that participate are such an example and blessing to me and my family and I am forever indebted to them.

One of the many things that strike me about this passage is the simple, yet striking fact that throughout the entire counsel of Scripture we have this simple example, that God gives grace to the weary, the weak, the destitute, the rejected, the poor, and the lame. You see, those are exactly the kind of people who are "looking for something." I know that there is more that could be said about this. The statements above in no way mean to imply that the "poor" means those without financial means, though it certainly doesn't exclude them.

You may read this passage and say "yes, Jesus had the power to heal." You may say, "yes, this is one of those miracles that we heard Jesus performed." You may be asking "why are you talking about this passage?" Well, there is great hope in this passage. You see, this passage, like the entire account of Scripture, is saying something to you and to me about the very nature of God.

It is very interesting indeed that the lowest person in the eyes of that society (those who were begging) are those exactly to whom the Lord extended His grace when they called out to Him for the help that they sought. (More to say about this in the future).

Therefore, if you find yourself as those whom society has rejected, either because of your low standing by birth or because of something that you have done in the past, call out to Him, just as these guys did. It doesn't matter if society tells you to keep quiet and to keep yourself "down", call out to Christ, and not only will He hear you, He will heal, and forgive. This is surely the greatest news ever reported in the history of this world.

In Christ,


Aaron


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And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35 ESV)

There are many things that can be said about leadership. One of the distinguishing qualities of a leader that we discussed in our c-group last night was the mark of being the "lead servant" of all. Our discussion actually centered around what does "genuine biblical maturity" look like. After much discussion, we came back around to this point and made some observations. (Not exhaustive, I must admit, but just some thoughts).

Maturity in Christ is demonstrated not by the number of books you have read, conferences you have attended, or the amount of time spent at Starbucks discussing the "deep truths of scripture." (Admittedly this is a little sermon that I am choosing to direct at myself.)

One way of thinking about maturity is the ongoing renouncing of your own desires, and freely giving of yourself to be taken advantage of, spit at, laughed at, mocked, and even killed, for the sake of laying down your lives joyfully in the service of others. For the Christian specifically we are talking about the fact that you and I are not our own, we have been bought with a price, and we have an obligation to do good to all (as we have the opportunity) especially the household of faith. (Galatians 6).

If we desire to look at an example, we can find no greater example to follow than the Lord Jesus Christ. The older I get and the more I think on the scripture that I read, the books I have studied, I keep coming back to this. Though I am a big fan of reading great books. We should read biographies, autobiographies, and all those other helpful resources. Still there can never be anyone greater that we must study that the Lord Himself. Christ Jesus, God the Son, humbled Himself, becoming as one of us, came to us, and is the only one who has lived on this Earth who ever truly suffered unjustly and did not lash out in doing so, but rather freely gave his life away in obedience to His Father and for the sake of His people. What an example.

I finish this post with restating, if you and I need an example of how to "share hope", "share the faith" learn what it means to be a "man" or anything other desirable quality, you will find no greater example than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Worthy of our time and consideration.




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Location:Want to be a leader?

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 12:7

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV)

So here I am sitting at the St. Louis Bread Company, looking over my Bible Reading for the day and as I am reading, some thoughts came to my mind concerning the verse.

We can be assured that the "manifestation of the Spirit" as mentioned here in this passage is never for selfish reasons. It is clearly stated in the entire context of this passage that God works in and through His people so that they might be a blessing to others. God gives "gifts" to us that all people might be blessed and that He would get the glory.

Our walk with Christ is a community project. (Thank you Paul Tripp for reminding this of that)! In this passage we are reminded again that we are not islands unto ourselves, but God has places us where He has placed us, and for those of us in Christ Jesus, He has given us gifts for the common good.

I pray that today you and I might consider how you and I might use our gifts, for the common good that Christ might be glorified and that in Him all the nations of the Earth might be blessed!

In all things...Christ preeminent!

Aaron


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Random thoughts from the Memory

It is another busy day here along the US/Mexico border and with most of our days we are running busy in different directions. So, here are some random updates.
Ligonier Ministries Specials
On this blog and in different locations previously I have referred to a wonderful resource by R.C. Sproul entitled "Taste of Heaven." This helpful book provides some excellent insight in to the subject of worship. This, along with others are available as part of the $5.00 Friday special. Visit the online store now
Little more on Mexico/Gideons
I failed to mention something very encouraging that we noticed during our trip to Mexico earlier this week. It appeared that the Giedons made a sweep through the very commercial market area because we saw groups of people reading Gideon Bibles (in Spanish) as well as saw several copies sitting at booths.
For Your Joy/Other Resources
Previously donated funds were used to purchase a case of "For Your Joy" booklets in Spanish. This little booklet by Pastor/Teacher John Piper answers many questions such as "What did Jesus have to die", "How can God love me" and "What does it mean if I don't love God." This week we have been able to place copies of this book at a few local businesses and they have been taken by interested persons. Yesterday we provided a handful to a Pastor visiting from Reyonsa, Mexico.
A special thank-you to those who played a part in providing a case of "Pilgrim's Progress." These were used by a congregation in Mexico and the Pastor sends his thanks!
Thank you for those who are committed to seeing that good resources are provided to all peoples of all languages!
Memory/Computer Updates
There has been a good response from supporters desiring to assist with the purchase of RAM for the two computers at the congregation where we are currently working. This, along with the purchase of an internet router will allow us to participate in online meetings and set the congregation up with online teaching and training by extension. This seems wise to me to recommend to them as this will make a good use of resources.
As I was typing this report I was informed that so far $225.00 was given toward this cause. We praise the Lord for this!
Debbie Ferrell at artistdf@sbcglobal.net can answer any questions concerning these projects. Please feel free to contact her if she can be of assistance. Again, thank you for your partnership in this endeavor.
There are so many other items that can be shared, but for now please just continue to pray for the work going on today, the Bible studies tonight and tomorrow night and our men's breakfast for tomorrow morning!
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Rebounding and redemption

The other morning, Billy and I were playing basketball and we were teaching Olivia some things in basketball. (Well, really Billy was teaching basketball, I was just teaching vocabulary - LOL). I would tell Olivia what we called it when the basketball is shot, doesn't make it and one takes possession of the ball. After teaching her a few minutes later I would ask her again. "Olivia what do we call it when someone misses the shot and someone must get the....." I tried to help her with the "reeeee" and she looked at me and said "redeem." After we had our laughs we explained to her that it was "rebound." That little incident kind of set a tone for some things later in the day.

In the evening yesterday several things happened. Rachel and Olivia went and served disaster relief workers their evening dinner while Rick continued teaching the second half of his "sound technician" training. While all of this was going on Billy and I met with a few young men for a Bible study and discussion.

In our Bible study, in Spanish, we first read from Psalm 1 and discussed the importance of reading, thinking, and "meditating" on the Word of God. From there we followed up by reviewing the first two catechism questions from the Baptist Catechism. We then went in to working on memorizing the order of the books in the New Testament. Then we turned our attention to the book "A young man after God's own heart." This gave us a well-rounded education for the evening. After all the "teaching time" was over we played some basketball on the property.

Back to the matter of "rebounding and redemption." One of the ways that we are teaching others here is by simply reading through the scriptures and other books taking time to stop and ask if basic words are correctly understood. For instance, we have discussed words such as "Soberano" - Sovereign, "Discipulo" - Disciple, "Inmutable" - Immutable, and many others. It has been refreshing and also very enlightening to me personally.

I shared with Billy and Rick last night that some of the lessons that I have learned include:

Don't assume that words are understood

Don't rush the one you are teaching

Take time to read with the person, not just assign reading

Thank you again for following these posts and for praying for all of us. We also enjoyed a nice trip to Mexico yesterday as indicated in our picture above. Thank you also for praying for Olivia. Her bug bite is much, much better and the signs of infection seem to be going away. Praise the Lord!

In Christ,

Aaron

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Pray for the those affected by the shooting

Thank you all again for following the blog and keeping up with our mission stories. I must apologize for the fact that many of the blog posts are so lengthy but there is really no other way to keep everyone "up to date" on what in the world is going on.

Let's see, where should we start from the last blog post?

Hermano Pedro and Family
As mentioned by our sister and fellow mission partner, Sarah Weber, Hermano Pedro is recovering nicely at home. Thank you all so much for praying for him and his family. We ask that you remember to pray for them especially given the fact that he is the only one who works in his family of 10. He is going to be out of work for at least one month, if not two or three. For more information, please visit Sarah's blog at: http://drolldigression.blogspot.com/2012/04/update-and-request.html

Discipleship and Resources
If you are one who gives to Psalm 67 Missions Network on a regular basis, or have done so on any occasion in the past, I would like for you to know that some of your donations have gone to provided sound materials to areas that have very little access. One young man (12 years old) specifically asked for a book that would help him study the scriptures every day. He is meeting with us and reviewing the questions and answers during our visits. Other materials that are being used include a Songbook in Spanish developed by our fellow partner in the ministry, John Spencer, tracts by Mathais media, and books (such as the Baptist catechism), which are used for Sunday School. All of the products are in Spanish and are being used in a congregation that has not been able to purchase their own materials in the last 3 years or so. (More will be posted about this at a later date as Billy Jackson (photographer and mission leader in training for Psalm 67) is currently editing a video report from locals here in the Rio Grande Valley who will speak to this need. Pray for Billy as he is currently editing materials from this trip as well as a Bible Conference he recently attended.




Pray for those affected by the shootings
You are probably thinking, "why haven't you discussed this already!" Well, I thought I would share with you that this morning Billy Jackson and I went to the Baptist Campground and volunteered to help serve breakfast to a group of Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief volunteers. They are in the area because parts of the Rio Grande Valley have been declared disaster areas due to the violent storm that went through last week. After we were serving, Rachel and Olivia (our four year old daughter) joined us. As the staff and volunteers were gathering together one person asked for prayer requests. Olivia, having heard us a few days earlier speak of the situation in Mexico along the boarder, mentions "pray for the people in the shooting." I thank the Lord that she would be prompted to remember the people affected by this reality of war. We then joined together and prayed, knowing that the Lord, He is faithful, and He will answer us. Please join us in praying together for the freedom of all peoples and the end to the war in Mexico. Our conviction is that the only way that there will be justice and peace will be by the Gospel transforming persons, communities, and cultures.

We love you all!

The Suttons (and the rest of the team)


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Follow up - A la carte items

Allow me to mention some things sporadically to also bring you "up to date."

Sunday School
Yesterday for Sunday School, Rick lead a group of 9-11 year olds, Billy and Rachel worked together with the younger kids (and also in children's church), and I taught the Adults and teenagers together. In our class we finished going through the "Dos Formas de Vivir" (Two ways to live) tract. After we finished this tract (which we have been working on for a few months now), we began to turn our attention to question #2 of the Baptist Catechism. Having already discussed question #1 about What is the "fin principal" or "chief end" of man, we turned our attention to "What rule has God given man by which we may know how to glorify and enjoy Him forever."

The answer to the question "The Word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments is the only (unica) rule that God has given man by which we may know how to glorify and enjoy Him forever." Here are two quick thoughts on why this resonated so much with me already this week.

First, we discussed in class that if one is to know and be a follower of Christ, one must do so, only through the Word of God as mentioned in the lesson. It is impossible for a person to come to the knowledge of the True and Living God apart from knowing Him in the Scriptures. The Scriptures alone are sufficient to make one "wise unto salvation." Therefore we cannot understate the need and priority of getting the Word of God in the hands of all peoples of all languages. It is also important that we teach them to obey "everything" that the Lord has commanded us. (Matthew 28:18-20).

Secondly, in an effort to explain in greater detail that the Scriptures alone are sufficient, we looked at what is going on in the context of the Valley community. Brothers and sisters, please pray because there are many that are teaching "Jesus+" or the "Bible+." I can assure you as I assured the hearers on Sunday morning that this is no Gospel at all, but is a teaching of the enemy and enslaves people. For example, while we were driving around Saturday we found that many streets had the presence of Mormon missionaries. There were people absent from the congregation on Sunday morning because they have (since the last time we were here) been lead to a "Jehovah's Witness" service. Though I advocate that we must treat both camps mentioned above as people created in the image of God, we must at the same time tell them and others that they teach a foreign God and not the True and Living God that is mentioned in the scriptures. We can be friends, but we are not brothers in Christ. We must love them, but we do not love their teaching that enslaves people. The camps mentioned above do not believe that the Scripture alone is sufficient. They do not believe that Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. These, my friends, are non-negotiable for those who desire to know the True and Living God. They are essential, not because I said so, but because this is the plain teaching of Scripture.

There is so much more to talk to you about. Please pray for our team, please pray for Olivia as she has a little bug bite that we are watching for infection. (Hey, I told you that the information included in this post is going to be sporadic).

In Christ,

Aaron

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