 So most of you know my name is Mark Mudge and that I used to serve as a pastor here from 2014 to 2016 for a few years and I Have known many of you for years and years and years So I'm happy to be back home. Happy. It's kind of weird. I have two homes I'm serving as a missionary in Guatemala and so as the the church has developed there more and more there It's like I have a home here and I have a home there. So I'm Say this this morning during the Sunday school hour. I'm going to give a report about the work in Guatemala and It's going to consist in three parts. We're going to look at a text about the work of the ministry for a few minutes Then in the second part, I'll give a report about what's happened in the past year and then the last part I'll give it open to questions and answers So let's let's see how it goes with the Let's go ahead and open up to Ephesians chapter 4 Ephesians chapter 4 so Again as intro I've been serving as a pastor of a small church in Guatemala City Guatemala it for those of you who may not be familiar Guatemala is a Country in Central America just below Mexico. It's about the size of Tennessee It's about 14 million people in it and we're in the capital city where there's approximately 4 million people It's about double the population of Orlando. It's much more condensed than Orlando Orlando is very spread out. So We just came in from This past week from Guatemala City and we plan to go back this next Thursday. So Let's go ahead and look at the Ephesians 4 Verses 7 to 16 we'll read it together to consider Some points about the ministry So Ephesians 4 verses 7 to 16 says but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift Therefore he says when he ascended on high He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men now this he ascended. What does it mean? But that he also first descended into the Lord parts of the earth He who descended is also the one who ascended for above all the heavens that he might fill all things and He himself gave some to be apostles some prophets some evangelists and pastors and teachers For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God To a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ That we should no longer be children Toss to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things and to him who is the head Christ From whom the whole body joined in it together By what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share Causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself and love What's particularly encouraging about this passage is how Christ centered it is if you look at how it begins in verse 7 It talks about but to each one of us so to every single person Grace was given According to the measure of Christ gifts, so Christ is the one who's giving it You see the in verse 8 the quotation from the Old Testament From Psalm 68 saying that he ascended on high He's the one who's doing the action then verses 9 to 10 Explains that action with again him being the focus and then he's the subject in in verse 11 He himself gave some apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers, so he's the one who's who gave some and Then we hear that we see the purpose behind those giving of spiritual gifts Explained verses 11 to 16 even in the verse in the explanation of why he's given spiritual gifts and particularly leaders to the church in Verse 12 we see it's for the edifying of the body of Christ and for the fullness of Christ and Then in verse 15 unto all things who is the head unto Christ and Then in verse 16 from whom refers back to Christ once again So the entire text we see is has focused on Christ Why he's given spiritual gifts and so we begin in verses 7 to 10 and we see that it is Christ is the king of spiritual gifts He's the one and so we want to look at this text in ministry want to see it from a God-centered perspective We want to think about what does is he doing? What is he accomplishing? Why is he giving spiritual gifts? Why is he talking about the ministry? Well, why does he referring about the ministry the way he did he does and so it begins in verses 7 to 10 to describe the incarnation describe how Christ In his humiliation and then his exaltation The his work of the the work of the gospel his coming the father sending him to this earth his humiliation to take on humanity and then his exaltation To be after his death and his resurrection his ascension and so when it describes this prophecy in verse 8 and then Exposits it or explains it in verses 9 and 10 his exaltation and How he it was exalted to the right hand of the father That work Accomplished it was the work that accomplished this giving of the spiritual gifts so it describes it basically like a king a conquering king who has won the spoils in a battle in victory and then Returns back home and gives of the spoils of the booty or the The possessions that he's won in the victory in the war so the great king here is Jesus Christ His great victory is him becoming a man Dying on the cross his Substitutionary atonement not only his humiliation or his humility in doing the work of forgiving of dying in a place of Sinners taking the wrath of God in the place of sinners, but also his exaltation his resurrection and and Ascension to the father and so in doing that He comes back to heaven and he comes back to heaven as a victorious king as a victorious king Who has gifts? he's won Possessions in the battle and now these gifts that he brings back are souls that he saved Peoples that he saved and he gives them to gifts to his church And we remember that it includes everyone everyone who's a Christian every member of the true member of the church of God is one of those gifts But here now in verse 11 he summarizes it in a way to explain some of the leadership some of the clear examples of gifting that he gives to his church and So again, Jesus is the focus because he's the one who's won the victory He's the king of spiritual gifts in verses 7 to 10 and then we see in verses 11 to 16 this purpose behind it and So he explains a list that's greatly abused and especially in Guatemala They talk a lot about the five-fold ministry about apostles and prophets and evangelists pastors teachers and some teachers believe that if you don't have a someone of each office, then you're not your church and so We understand here that this representation is a representation of leadership that Christ has given some have passed away some do not work for the first century apostles prophets and some continue evangelist pastors teachers and so We remember here That the focus is on Christ's purpose Christ's purpose in the ministry It's for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. Why has he given gifted people to the church? Why do you have spiritual gifts so that you would be a disciple who makes other disciples? Why are their leaders? So that in the church so that they would help they would be disciples who make other disciples What's the purpose behind Christ's Work great work here as a conquering king bringing back gifts From his work of the gospel humiliation exaltation He has a purpose in the ministry. He has a purpose in his church he is a purpose of having a church churches full of disciples who make disciples and So part of the purpose today. We're here to worship. Yes, we're here to glorify God. Yes, we're here to sing to God Yes, we're here to listen to sermons. Yes But we also remember that part of that all of those things are included in and connected to the ministry that we would be disciples who make other disciples and so We we observe some of the purposes fruits here very briefly in 11 to 16 It's so that all the saints equipping for it's for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry Not just a leadership, but it for everyone and for what purpose for the edifying of the body of Christ in verse 12 and Then we observe other good fruits unity in verse 13 So that we would know Jesus Christ in verse 13 Christ the conquering king Has won the victory in hit the gospel and then he gives gifts to a church Why does he give gifts to a church one of the reasons so that we would know him? So that we would know him and help others to know him in verse 13 Another fruit and the result and other purpose Is so that we would become like him not only know him But where it says to them measure the stature the fullness of Christ so that we would be conformed to be like him Then at 14 so that we would have some discernment We wouldn't be children. What are children? They don't have discernment Like if you take some of the kids out of the five-year-old's class And you take them and you say all the nice man the van has lollipops for kids, right? They don't they need to have they don't have discernment. They don't know that that's dangerous To go take free candy from a stranger in a van, right? What they don't discern they don't see the difference between what is truth and error What is or what dispersion said is truth and almost truth? They don't have the ability to see the difference So what is the result of this discipleship if we understand the work of the ministry and we're at this church That is full of disciples who make disciples then what is one of the fruits? What is one of the purposes that we have discernment? We're able to see the difference between truth and almost truth and you know that process when somebody new comes to church and they say a lot of things that are Wrong or half-truths and you try and take them to the side and help them to understand you see how that's an almost truth That's not a truth truth. That's a almost truth and you try and help them to see the difference That's one of the purposes of the ministry That's one of the purposes of the ministry Okay, so then we have Another purpose where in verse 15 we're speaking the truth in love We're speaking the truth in love that we One of the results one of the purposes behind the ministry is that We end up Yes speaking the truth. Yes helping people discern, but look at the way. We're doing it If the maturity the fruit the result of a godly biblical ministry is that we end up speaking the truth in love Again for the purpose all again Christ centered you see in verse 15 That we may grow up to all things and to him who is the head Christ? Christ Christ and Then in verse 16 from whom the again of Christ from it says from whom referring back to Christ The whole body joined in it together by every joint supplies again describing the the imagery of a body in the unity For the effective working of every part does it share again back to everybody doing the work of the ministry that this We're a church of disciples who makes disciples Causes growth for the body of the edifying of itself in love. So we we briefly look over this complicated sentence in in verses 11 to 16 and we saw these two parts Christ the king of spiritual gifts Christ in the gospel who wins victory booty treasures spoils and Who at what's part of those that what he's won in the victory people? People that he gives back to his church as gifts so that they would serve so that churches would be Groups of disciples who make more disciples and we see all the good fruits and results of that If we're we're doing it the ministry the way God wants look at all the good things it produces unity maturity discernment speaking the truth in love the Everyone doing the work of the ministry And so that what's the purpose? Christ is glorified Christ is glorified Christ is glorified so that we would know Christ we'd be like him and speak about him and So we have this Explanation of what it means to be a biblical church What it means what and we what's the purpose in the main the bottom line? I want you to see Christ how it's Christ centered and How everything is directed towards him? Everything is directed towards him for a good purpose. So in remembering this Explanation of the ministry, this is what we would want to do in Guatemala Being a missionary is not really much different than I think being being a biblical missionary is not much different than Serving here in the local church So being faithful here is the same thing we wouldn't want to do in Guatemala It's not like if there's some another level of Christianity to be a missionary or it's you're just doing the same things That we do here. We try and make disciples who make disciples We go we preach the word We go and disciple teach in Conversations and classes in various ways. We go and evangelize and the same things the Lord uses here The same things he uses there. It's just in a different language a little different culture different setting Maybe a little cooler, maybe a little warmer, but basically We're it's the same thing It's not superstar Christianity. It's just Christianity Pastors are on another level. They're just regular people regular another gift that Christ is one as saved and allowed them to be Exampled another disciple who makes disciples and so That's what we Wanted to do in Guatemala and so now we're going to transition from this brief summary of Ephesians 4 and now We want to talk about some of the practicality of a report about how that has worked itself out in Guatemala in the past year I think it's been a year since I've been here last or a little or about 13 months. And so let's go turn to acts Acts 14. I think every year I read this verse Maybe next year you guys be able to quote it to me in Acts 14 We we're gonna read verses 25 to 27 We remember we remember the setting is that Paul and Barnabas were sent out from the Church of Antioch and Here they've come back to Antioch the Church's ascent them for the purpose I will see them some of this purpose here and we read verses 25 to 27 now when they had preached the word at purga They went down to Attilia from there they sailed to Antioch Where they had been commended to the grace of God For the work which they had completed Now when they had come and gathered the church together They reported all that God had done to with them and he opened the door of faith to the Gentiles So they stayed there a long time with the disciples So we're trying to apply verse 27 here in this Sunday school we're trying to gather the church together and We're trying to give a report of what God has done And so that how he's opened the door of faith the Gentiles I like how God centered this text is that when if we when Paul talked about the ministry He talked about how it's something that God had done and that how it's something That how he opened the door how he saved souls how he does his work and so Let's do the same now. Let's do the same now So I'll try and work through some of the calendar Or work through as a timeline some of the things that have happened in Guatemala to give a report to you all We want to thank you for your prayers We hear your prayers on Sunday nights on the live stream or in different times during the week during Different ways that they we were thankful for the internet ministry We try and get ready on Sunday mornings and and watch you guys and when you guys Greet one another at the beginning of the service We always look to see if we who's there and watch from Guatemala through that camera over there So we're always very excited to see new people or to see old people either one and So let me get back to the report so we're in the report here Last year we were here in February so We ended up as a church finishing the exposition of the gospel of mark the last time we were here We were finishing we were finishing up the book of mark and we began the book of Ephesians And so we're preaching through the book of Ephesians verse by verse in the church at that time last year We're going through the book of redemption accomplished and applied which is very encouraging small book about the work of the Christ in the atonement and It gives a good explanation to the people in the church about the extent of the atonement the What crisis accomplished in the atonement? They give them a good understanding of the gospel last of March we were continuing through and What would be us like a midweek service in the in the book of Proverbs We're going through the book of Proverbs verse by verse We were in we were in chapter 19 back then and last March a cornerstone team of Edgar Mitchell Ryan Esther Troy Joe became we were able to have a blessing of going open-air preaching had numerous gospel opportunities and funerals There be able to preach the gospel Funerals they are different as soon as somebody passes away in Guatemala because they don't I think because they don't have refrigeration Then they as soon as someone passes away. They begin a that night will be an all-night vigil and so The family will typically stay up all night. That's a great opportunity to preach the gospel and conversations or sometimes There's opportunities to preach to everybody there and then the next morning. They bury the person so it happens very fast within 24 hours And so there's usually two gospel opportunities one at the vigil and then one at the at the burial and so We were able to join in the team was able to join in in those different Gospel opportunities last April our daughter was born Cassandra and she's in the back She's 11 months now and growing fast Ah Gracias adios empecé a predicar en español el último abril thanks to God I began this preach in Spanish in the old the last April and That was a big answer to prayer for me because it was some years in the making That I would be able to have the ability to preach in Spanish So that's still growing still coming along Still quite a work to be done and I still take weekly classes from one of the brothers a Colombian brother who's New in the faith has a few years in the faith named Hugo and he's been a great help to me to be able to explain the grammar Repeatedly and repeatedly and repeatedly to me and pronunciation. That's another thing You know you guys can those who are native Spanish speakers will hear when you talk with Benjamin You can hear his pronunciation is a lot better than mine and the Guatemalans know that too So he's I know in the future. He's going to be help me So last May We were able to begin to go through evangelism study. So it's tell the truth by Will Metzger and We were also able to have gospel opportunities and more funerals We've had a lot. Sadly, we had a lot more funerals than their weddings We have we yet to have a wedding in in Guatemala So we're praying for it to bounce out, but there's been a lot a lot of funerals But you know how Ecclesiastes says it's better to go to the house of mourning than the to go to a party or festival Or a house of rejoicing. So it's better preaching the gospel at those times And so but there's also been other gospel opportunities I'm just mentioning ones that are outside of the norm outside of the regular preaching during the week is our church typically will Will will try and have fellowships church-wide fellowships every other Sunday And then we'll go evangelizing on those Sundays because Sunday a lot of the more people in our church work six days a week and So Sunday is the day to be able to basically try and pack in small group church and evangelism So if you guys think cornerstone Sundays are packed you should come visit us But the so We were able to have Last May we really will have some new members join our small church and in then June We were able to have some baptism services So an ant of ours says yeah, I was able to become a member and be baptized and some brothers from That the travel two hours every Sunday to come to church On the bus with their families and they got young babies Some one baby less than a year old and so they they pack up their family regularly Around six o'clock in the morning to try and get on the bus to get there and church starts at 930 So that's just a regular routine. So West Siders. You guys don't have anything to complain about a Wise man once said the road to a good church is not long One of your pastors and So those brothers are very our good encouragement But they also ask for prayer that they would be faithful to be able to continue to regularly attend and It's not easy. It's not difficult. They're not super Christians. They're just regular people So they need the prayer they would be faithful in order to attend and also they have family members that maybe not are not As excited to be able to come to church And so those men need help to be able to lead their families with wisdom and in grace So then last we're working through the months February March April May of 2019 So we talked about how in June of last year there was a blessing to have new members and then in July We were able to meet another church that recently adopted or be meet another pastor of another church in the city who had recently adopted the 69 confession, which is very encouraging because as far as we know We are the first church in Guatemala that would be reformed Baptist so then to hear of another church on the other side of town that apart from us had Recognized that the 69 confession was very encouraging. It was very encouraging So we were able to meet with that pastor and hopefully we'll be able to continue to cultivate a friendship It's a church called grace over grace or in the pastors Manuel Valle So he was able to come to a conference and hopefully we'll be able to continue that friendship and Then last year in September we were Able to have a conference which was a great blessing pastor Michael came preached the gospel to us and Joby Joby is our the faithful missionary who continually comes back to see us and serve us Edgar Joby Ryan have come multiple times They're like family coming back and again and again and again and we were happy with them coming back So it's a great encouragement to have them come and we had a conference on the doctrines of grace We had a pastor from Costa Rica that came in as well It was a great encouragement to see the pastors be able to fellowship one with one another and then speak to the people Who are attending to the conference? Last October I was able to visit the states for my cousin's a cousin's wedding cousin's wedding in New York and then We there's a church in New York is praying for the church plant in Guatemala in Poland Baptist Church in New York. So now they're they're praying and supporting us Which is a great encouragement So whenever I try and go back and visit my grandparents up there in upstate New York It's it's far away from Christ the King four hours or so from Christ the King So we're three hours something like that. It's like from here to Jacksonville. So it's not that close, but So in last November We were able to preach the gospel in a time of having a Thanksgiving dinner so in Guatemala, they don't have Thanksgiving it's a very American holiday and So we were but we're still able to have pumpkin pie and turkey and do all that kind of American stuff and then invite all the the Guatemalans and They invited other family members and it ends up becoming a big dinner that we We have a carport there essentially in Guatemala in our place and we turn it into a evangelistic service maybe about 40 people come and then I know another missionary in Italy who also turned Thanksgiving into a An evangelistic opportunity. So it was a good idea and the Lord blessed it to be able to to preach the gospel To other family members and other people that were not normally part of the church Also, we were able in last November to have another couple join Jair and Anya and they were they're a great blessing and encouragement from Honduras a country next but nearby Guatemala So what's particularly encouraging about them is there's their zeal and joy to be able to serve the Lord So it's not a burden for them to reach out take the initiative serve and In many different ways many different ways or event or evangelize So last December We were blessed to be able to have a Brother from a church in Miami if you guys know remember Victor Garcia was a pastor in Miami who preached here at a marriage conference a few years back There they have he has a deacon there named Rogelio and they're planning to move to Guatemala And it's a great blessing to be able to have an open-air Preaching event for the church and so the entire church will go out to downtown area during the daytime and during the daytime at Christmas there it's packed full of people and We're able to have a church-wide evangelistic event in the downtown area and so in December We were also in January. We were able to begin a study on contentment contentment by a Book by Jeremiah Burroughs the rare jewel of Christian contentment those of you who have read that and been blessed by that it's a very Encouraging Convicting helpful way to think through how to how we complained in our hearts How we don't think about all the blessings in the gospel and how Encouraging it is to reorient our lives around to be around centered around God and not around ourselves So it was very sanctifying helpful study to help us battle with sin help us Grow in understanding of accountability zeal consistency So when we look back at this that year in 2019 What's a very beginning very encouraging is to see that the growth in particular members of the church and we try and My wife is better at this at me doing all these these details we try and give these these Pictures of a church So you would be able to put it on your fridge or put it somewhere in your office or somewhere So you would remember to pray for our church and so as I look at it this picture It's I know it's a lot for you a number of you their number of faces that you don't know But it's but for me this is like looking at a family picture, right? and so I pray for these people weekly I Speak with them and love them. They're my family So I want you to continue to pray for them and you continue to labor in that way for their Growth in the faith they have struggles. They were I would want them to grow in love I would want them to have consistency and and apply the word in their home life and and Others in their work life I'm thankful about to see how they've grown the believers here how they've grown in zeal and consistency or maturity I would want to take this time to thank the Lord for the russis again They came and visited you recently and they are Continuing to be a great blessing to us Lee's preaching this morning and Colossians 1 verses 15 to 17 about Christ and his glory and his person his work and so Alex who many of you know who he loves to visit America. He loves America. He wants to come move here eventually His English is pretty good He'll be back here to visit you guys again soon. I'm sure and so he's He's gonna be teaching Lesson on hermeneutics this morning at Sunday school. It's the first time of him teaching a class So he's a bit nervous. We talked last night So I'll I've been praying for him That's one of the encouraging stories to think about and to pray about for them So in this past January and February Lee's dad passed away and he Came here for the funeral because his dad lived here in Orlando And I'm thankful for for the love of you all to support them to care for them when they were here and a number of you to attend a funeral too And I'm thankful for how the Lord opened the door for the gospel there This year we began in February and January we've begun to study on the hermeneutics and basic of hermeneutics using the grasping God's word I'm thankful that some of these resources in Spanish and how we're Also begun to study on the regulative principle of worship and In other words, how do we think about how the Bible teaches us how to worship God in song And so that's been a helpful study and we're going to continue to work on through that on the midweek service recently a pastor from El Salvador has Reached out to us and he is seeking fellowship. They've recently Become a reform church and so he's been there. He's actually Cuban. They're actually a Cuban family who lived in Canada and then Canadian church sent them as missionaries to El Salvador, so it's kind of mixed up, but It works out. They works out. So the church that sent them from Canada. Sadly is they don't have good fellowship with that church because they This particular pastor has grown on his own from reading the Bible and reading resources, so there it's I Can't remember the denomination that sent him from Canada, but he doesn't have good encouragement from them He's not in the same page as them theologically. They don't want him to be reformed. They don't want to so they opposed him putting reformed in the name of the church and so he's when he we met for coffee and he when he was he came by on Vacation went out of the way in order to come and visit us and When I explained the the prayer and like-mindedness that you all have and the communication that I have with the pastors on a wheelie basis and the the Russi's that were sent with us and the help that we have from having a Barnabas to be able to be with us or Sent out two by two or a Silas then He had tears in his eyes listening to all these things And so he's trying to work towards a more biblical church in a more biblical ministry and so he invited us to go and preach the gospel at his church in And speak about church ministry in a conference in October and So it's a neighboring country about four out. It's about four hours away four or five hours away drive So that's an encouraging thing that's come up recently a few weeks ago, and he's been texting me while we're on the trip about How do you think through who becomes a member how they become a member church government? And so he's trying to grow with these things because he doesn't have a good background that So in things that things that are coming up We have a missionary trip first missionary trip for on torture The church in Honduras another country right nearby. It's about eight-hour drive has asked us to come over and Disciple their church and open air preaching So we're gonna try and get a group of maybe eight people from the church in Antorcha to be able to go over there and It's a pastor that pastor Dale actually got us connected with from online and So some of you know the pastor there in Iglesia Bautista renacer and so they're reforming their church. They recently got out of the Southern Baptist convention and Have adopted the 69 as well So it's been difficult for them and learning is also a changing worship worship in music that can be a very difficult thing for Latinos really to Think through how you apply solar scriptura to the music as opposed to just what is What is cultural or what is? But you would like What you grew up with as opposed to now begin to think what is how do we apply is the Bible? sufficient to teach us what we should do in corporate worship and how we can be more God-centered in that So that church is wrestling through those things and thinking through those things and also the pastor Wants them to grow and open our preaching Coming up in May We're praying and looking forward to some of you coming We had to change the the date of the trip because of our busyness and March to come and visit you guys and the the missionary trip that we have in March to undo on Duris In June 4th to the 6th, I would like to invite some of you all to Go to the Bahamas if you're able to I'm gonna go preach the conference in the Bahamas And if any of you have extra money to come visit us, there's a reform the reformed reformed believers conference that Sean has preached that before and so I have an invitation to go preach and then I'm inviting you all because it's in English the conference and So not too many people from on torture could could have the funds to go or Not too many understand English too. So So I would love it if any of you were able to come Then it's June 4th to the 6th and Who doesn't like to go visit the Bahamas in July upcoming The there's a group of ladies from on torture that are looking forward and wanting to come here to the ladies conference You know the most well-known thing about a cornerstone is the lady come ladies conferences that you all put on We're known around the reformed community for ladies conferences And so we have a group of maybe five ladies that are excited and and planning to come here Some are working on visas and so there's look paperwork and more things to be done in order to visit It is a pretty short plane ride Now that we have direct flights, so you can be Be from Guatemala City and within four hours five hours. You can you can be in Orlando on the ground in immigration so we're going we're also planning in the next few months to go over the doctrine of repentance with the church and church history and And also like I mentioned well God willing will will be able to visit a that church in El Salvador So I didn't leave too much time, but Let me summarize so far And then we'll open it up for a few questions the We looked at a a brief introduction or explanation of a visions for and What is a God-centered ministry? churches that are full of disciples who make disciples that Centered on Christ for his glory Do we grow in his likeness? Then he's the king of spiritual gifts. He's the one who's orchestrated this ministry And Then we we I gave a brief report some of the highlights. How do you summarize a year in 20 minutes, right? I? Well, I tried So it's been it's been a good year. It's been a difficult year but The honeymoon is over in the glacial torture and now it's more into regular life. It's in the regular life and so We're back in we're into regular struggles of the Christian life that Into regular church life that you guys are in too. So please continue to pray for us And we're excited about those things. They're coming up and this year So I just mentioned some of those big things highlights conferences so that you all can know and maybe even participate in in the future so I have about eight minutes eight minutes for questions if anyone has any questions about Iglesia Antorcha Iglesia about these are reformed Antorcha In Guatemala Questions about ministry you can raise your hands. I listen to Sunday school So I know who the ones who are typically like to talk And so all others if you are more quiet Really on Sundays on how many people You know members and our members what what's your like heck count like yeah, that's a good question. Thank you basically like the picture Basically like the picture is about a typical Sunday for us. You can be a bit less and a little bit a little bit more Yeah, it's growing slowly by the by the grace of God and So We've also had some new contacts from visitors. It's a very encouraging that The work that Lord is doing from the internet that a lot of people from different towns or different places Hear about the gospel from reform ministries in Spanish on the internet And so we have some also some new contacts new visitors one particular Lady we met in vanguards that we would like her to be able to come and she's attending a Pentecostal church Her name is Wendy and so She listened to open air open-air sermon Cito we say I like a little sermon that we preach in open air and then There in the in the culture it's different when you afterwards when you talk to people on the street in evangelism like in a park more people will come and listen to the conversation and So you can just have to begin a conversation with the individual and they see you have a Bible people walking by and so they don't They feel Comfortable to just but in the conversation to listen And so one of those ladies was Wendy and so Jair the new member that from Honduras He was preaching the gospel somebody and he noticed she was listening So he after he preached the gospel to somebody he turned to her and said I noticed you were listening to everything and so he began to talk to her and She said yeah, I'm listening to Suhelma Jaleen Miguel Nunez Paul Pablo washer like all the Paul washer. So they these are reformed the reformed People so if somebody mentions those names, it's like saying oh, I'm listening to John MacArthur I'm missing the Paul water in English by washer or Albert Martin these kind of Names that people listen to So and we hand her a track from Chapel library and she's like oh I read material from Chapel library So you it's as rare there to meet somebody you can imagine somebody from evangelism You knock on somebody's door or you meet somebody apart who says all those things you're like wow That's unusual that doesn't happen Very much. So give me your no phone number You're going to Pentecostal Church. You need to get out of that church. You need a sound church It was like that So there's contacts like that. We're trying to continue to talk to them call them encourage them There's a few contacts like that. So that was a long answer to short question. Sorry Rebecca I Was wondering if the church corporately has experienced like trials or persecution like have you like started to be like known for You know, oh, this church is blank or too hard or you know Too judgmental as a church corporately So that's a good question that typically comes with more time because we're such a small church not too many people know we exist and so the persecution on that level usually comes after more time so yes, there's it comes in small ways Make conversations with people or family members that aren't is excited about the real gospel or things we've said but Thank God We haven't experienced that on a more on a wider level But those things come in time those things come in time There's different dynamics when you have a real small church to having a church a medium-sized church like we have here To be having a bigger church Like churches that have more influence Like the church that puts on g3 or grace community or bigger churches. They have more difficult trials Than smaller churches. So we were real small church. So we don't have the influence that you guys have so There's just it's just different Aspects to being a smaller church or bigger church So those things come in a small ways for us now But if we would want the gospel to grow we want to be able to reach more people and when we reach more people We know that also more persecution comes from different areas. We don't want it, but that's That's normal. It's normal So thanks. That's a that's a good question. So it's like it's like one of those Things that will come in time. We're not We know it'll come in time Troy He knew I was gonna ask a question One of the talkers Lots to say Have you tried or can you use anything like media outlets to Maybe have a radio broadcast or something like that that you can do down there to reach people I know radio is pretty big there compared to here because of the you know that country like it was here radio It was huge here one time. So I don't know if you're doing anything like that. So currently no, I think my Spanish needs to grow and like Right now I'd prefer to put other people like other preachers forward like, you know about the Suhelma Jaleen or other reform preachers and and In time my Spanish will have to grow to the point where Because my Spanish is is simple simple and the people understand and the people are gracious and patient with me But I think that for now that I need to grow as a preacher before doing some of those things So we would need to work on maybe more conversations or short videos And so Alex has done some of those things for on a YouTube channel And so we could do more of that putting out like eight minute material the gospel or things like that So Facebook is the big thing in in Guatemala or in Latin America because websites take money but and and Take more money than then a lot of businesses are Prepared or churches are prepared to to be able to pay and so Facebook is free You can have a Facebook for free page for free And so churches typically don't use websites. They use Facebook page there So we do use Facebook and we do put all we put all the services all the calls to worship and Facebook And so those things are what we typically send out to people in the way that we would use online for now So all the calls to if somebody understands Spanish you you all can listen to the calls to repentance call to worship the sermons Everything's there on the Facebook page So we're trying we need to grow in YouTube and other other areas, but thank you. That's a good question. One more question Hermano, I was gonna ask you. What's one way that you've seen the church grow? One way we seen the church grow Like my mom my wife mentioned To me I asked her that What was something that you would want us to say to the church cornerstone and she mentioned about thankfulness about how the church and growing in contentment the church are growing with a battle with sin Wanting to be held accountable and one example she mentioned is there's a single mother named Astrid She would my wife give me this to you so it would help reference I could I say names and then you know know who I'm talking about so she would be on the Lower right hand corner. She's a single mother with her son Anthony. He's wearing a red and so She gets to work on a moto like a little motorbike and so her moto broke down on Way to church something wrong with a carburetor, so She walked to church had been walking to church now and Recently and so she was walking to church after her moto broke down her motorcycle or her Moped I think is the it's not really a motorcycle. So I think moped right. It's the right term so She came Had it in her heart the tendency to complain. I have to walk to church and it's little ways and so she was Applying what we were learning in the contentment study by Jeremiah Burroughs and being thankful For having a church thankful that she's a Christian and it was very encouraging to hear someone Talk about how they're applying the word of God to their own lives So that's an example of Christian growth that's very encouraging to us to be able to hear those things from the people and Others with it wanting to see their own sin wanting to grow wanting to identify How they can apply the word of God That zeal of others in the church like the brother I mentioned with Jair That he would be in the top picture in the middle of the back row One of the tallest guys if you look there and he's wearing a sweater It makes to his wife who's got kind of a yellow shirt yellowish. I'm sorry. I'm color-blind So I'm not sure if it's I think it's yellow so his zeal and in for the evangelism for serving the church to being ready to Sacrifice and say I'll drop off these brothers who don't have a car and he has a car to say oh, yeah I'll drive the hour and an hour and a half back and after he's been Working hard all week and he owns his own business to be able to take the initiative to do those kinds of things It's really encouraging really encouraging. So some of the Christian growth Christian growth has been one of the encouraging areas of growth Well, let's go ahead and begin to close. Thank you again for your support for your prayers for I can't tell you the the impact of your prayers that have There's one of the things you'll only be able to see will only be able to see well from heaven I think to see the but I'm come I am very sure of many of the things of grace in That God has done graciously in our church or Connected or come or result of the prayers of you all The more that you are in prayer and the more you're involved in the that way that you are in supporting the church plant the more joy you have in hearing about those things and It makes sure it reorients your life off of yourself and towards the glory of God in a very joyful way And so I hope that this This mission update has been encouragement for you So that you would be more zealous that you would be more involved in prayer that you would be thinking about God's glory and his work in the ministry and less self-focused and less More content in his him being glorified Let's go ahead and pray Thank you Lord for the things you've done in 2019 And the beginning of this year you want to thank you for the work you've done here in that time Thank you for helping us to grow here the church here to grow In many ways, thank you for the new faces. I see thank you for your gracious Work and the gospel Saving sinners. Thank you for doing work in Guatemala. Thank you for the brothers there and we pray this morning that You would help them to be able to worship you spirit and truth We pray that they would forget about themselves They would not be self-focused and selfish, but they would be focused on you and your glory and How to help others be disciples who make disciples? We pray for Lee as he preaches or prepares to preach your word now at this very moment That you would glorify your son through Colossians 1 verses 15 to 70 We pray that you you'd be glorified in the church there through the hermeneutics class That you would help them to learn how to make observations and sound interpretations So that your voice would be heard through the means of your word We pray that you would help them to have discernment and maturity and speak the truth and love Thank you Lord for this time to be able to speak about what things you've done We recognize that everything good has come as Result of you and we recognize our need for grace here in Orlando and in Guatemala Grace to be in order to persevere and continue in the faith So please help us by your spirit to walk in the spirit and not by our own strength So we pray please be glorified and honored in the worship service today. Amen