“Christ tells us when the day of His kingdom shall be ushered in. He does not say that all the world will be converted, but that ‘this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ Matthew 24:14. By giving the gospel to the world, it is in our power to hasten the coming of the day of God. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to the earth in power and great glory.” –God’s Amazing Grace,p. 353.
Work in Colombia
October 9–17, 2005
When you think of Colombia, what images come to your mind? Illicit drug trafficking, cocaine trade, the Medellin cartel, ruthlessness, violence? But Colombia is much more than all that! It is also a land of enchanting rainforests and spectacular mountains, a producer of extraordinary emeralds, and a country desperately in need of God.
Despite the fact that one encounters many dangers when bringing the gospel of salvation, the work of God in Colombia continues to go forward with power. In the city of Quinchia, high in the mountains of western Colombia, God’s people assembled for a conference, a delegates session, a seminar, and evangelistic meetings. Visitors from Venezuela, the United States, Peru, and Argentina joined their Colombian brethren at the site of the theological school INSETES. We rejoiced to see old and new friends and to share the Word of God. We were especially privileged to have among us Elder Branko Cholich, the President of the General Conference, and we benefited from his knowledge and wise counsel.
The goal of the spiritual meetings was to strengthen the faith of the believers and to better equip them to reach out to the unsaved. God’s presence was manifested during all the meetings through Christian love and harmonious fellowship. The delegates sessions were very productive.
Although one guerrilla soldier was seen in the vicinity of the conference campground and I was warned not to go for a walk that day, God was our shield and protector. No one was harmed. Incidentally, one former guerrilla was baptized at the conference. He surrendered all for Jesus—his cocaine plantation and laboratory, and his sinful lifestyle. The Holy Spirit still convicts sinners of wrongdoing and reveals to them the love of Jesus.
On October 15, during the morning devotional service, two newsmen from a local television station came to do a news story on our church’s activities. After the videotaping, the reporters interviewed Brother Cholich and me. (I was promised by one of the church directors that, for our protection, the taping would not be aired until Brother Cholich and I were out of Colombia.) The Lord was good and guided our footsteps everywhere we traveled.
May the Lord continue to bless and prosper the Colombian Union with a rich harvest of souls.
What should be our attitude towards those who are without hope in this world?
Here is one statement that speaks explicitly about this all-important responsibility:
“In this country and in foreign countries the cause of present truth is to make more rapid advancement than it has yet made. If our people will go forth in faith, doing whatever they can to make a beginning, and laboring in Christ’s lines, the way will be opened before them. If they will show the energy that is necessary in order to gain success, and the faith that goes forward unquestioningly in obedience to God’s command, rich returns will be theirs.
They must go as far and as fast as possible, with a determination to do the very things that the Lord has said should be done. They must have push and earnest, unwavering faith.… The world must hear the warning message.” –Evangelism,pp.18, 19.
Outreach in Peru
October 24–28, 2005
Evangelistic meetings were held in the large city of Trujillo. A bull-fighting arena, large enough to accommodate four thousand people, had been rented for the five nightly public meetings. Despite the fact that the arena had no roof to keep the cold air out, people were eager to attend.
To attract visitors to this special spiritual event, the Peruvian Union Publishing Department printed about 220,000 small invitations plus an assortment of large posters to hang on billboards. All the believers in the Trujillo area were inspired to distribute the colorful invitations. In many sections of the city, the posters were placed on utility poles, car and house windows, and walls. This outreach may have been the largest in the history of our church in Peru.
People attended the health/spiritual meetings from different areas of Peru and from as far away as Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, U.S.A., and Spain. The support of the believers and leaders was both astounding and encouraging.
On the first night of the meetings, there was an air of excitement and great anticipation. Some of us wondered how many people would attend and how everything would turn out. Almost one year of planning had gone into this missionary project. The day finally arrived when the gates were opened to let in the crowd. People slowly found their way to their seats in the circular stadium, and the meeting began.
Suddenly, over the massive speakers came the announcement that everyone had to immediately vacate the premises. It was a surprise and a shock to all of us. Why were the people asked to leave? Apparently, the church had not obtained permission from the local authorities in the city of Trujillo to conduct these meetings. It was heartbreaking to see all the visitors leaving the stadium, but many people waited by the entrance to see what would happen next. After about an hour of negotiation, permission was granted to resume the meeting. It was wonderful to hear the good news. The Lord had touched the hearts of the city officials and they reconsidered the matter.
On the third evening, we experienced a massive power failure that resulted in midnight darkness. How could we proceed with the remainder of the activities? About two thousand people had come to hear inspiring music and a health talk by Dr. Guillermo Gamallo from Spain and to see a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Jesus Wants to Change Your Life.” After about fifteen minutes, someone in the middle of the crowd offered a prayer seeking help from the Lord. The audience waited patiently, with great expectations.
During that earnest prayer the lights were restored. God performed a miracle! The messages of health and redemption needed to be preached. Remember the Bible text, “Ask and you shall receive.” Nothing is too hard for God—He is the light of the world.
At this time, I would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the evangelistic meetings—the Peruvian Union, the printers and distributors of the invitations, the translators, the clean-up crew, the musicians, the audio technicians, and, most of all, Jesus Christ. It was God who helped from the beginning to the end of this massive outreach. May His name be praised!
The people in Peru are very open to the gospel. Many have an inner need to follow Jesus and be saved in His kingdom. The visitors were given several opportunities to express their convictions by responding publicly to appeals to dedicate their lives to Jesus. They were asked to walk down the steps to the front of the stage. Hundreds responded to the voice of the Holy Spirit. It was very encouraging to see people who were still in search of God. From the Pen of Inspiration we read:
“It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince the soul of its need of Christ. Many are convicted of sin, and feel their need of a sin-pardoning Saviour; but they are merely dissatisfied with their pursuits and aims, and if there is not a decided application of the truth to their hearts, if words are not spoken at the right moment, calling for decision from the weight of evidence already presented, the convicted ones pass on without identifying themselves with Christ, the golden opportunity passes, and they have not yielded, and they go farther and farther away from the truth, farther away from Jesus and never take their stand on the Lord’s side.
“Now the minister is not merely to present the Word of God in such a manner as to convince of sin in a general way, but he is to lift up Christ before his hearers. Christ’s claims upon them are to be made plain. The people should be urged to decide just now to be on the Lord’s side.” Ibid., p. 283.
Baptism: Fruits from the Lord
On Sunday, October 30, a baptism was performed in a river near Trujillo. Forty-four dear souls made a covenant with God. Nine ministers stood in the flowing water to immerse the candidates for heaven. What an inspiration to all who witnessed this event! Indeed, all of heaven rejoiced with the church on earth! Christ’s commission was partially fulfilled in Peru: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19. May the Lord empower the believers to go forward by faith to lead many more souls to JESUS. God bless the work in Peru!
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Peru Bull Stadium
