Conclusion from Peru and Mexico

ESV Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

In recent days I have spent time in Lima and Sullana Peru and Mexico City and I have discovered that people by nature are the same. Man has a heart that is inclined to selfishness and idolatry. Sin abounds in the remotest parts of the land because the heart is desperately wicked. Thousands bow before statues of Mary and pray to her hoping for answers. I have seen these people stare hopelessly at Mary icons, Jesus icons, and a host of dead saints who will do nothing for them. I have talked with people who pray to the pope and say that they love him. I talked with one lady who said that she knew that Jesus was the Savior, but she loved the pope. Thousands bow before Santa Muerte (holy death angel) in hopes that she will do whatever they ask her. I have seen people bring money, burning cigarettes, beer, whiskey, chocolate, plants, and flowers to Santa Muerte in hopes of her answers. I have seen these people bowing on their knees on the concrete in the middle of public places to worship their idol. Millions of people come into the Basilica in Mexico City and pay their money, confess their sins, and stare hopelessly at relics in hope that their sins will be pardoned. In America countless thousands are chained to baseball games, football games, material possessions, and whatever else their heart of idols can produce to worship.

My heart has broken in these last weeks because the God of heaven is not honored as he ought to be honored. People worship the things that are created rather than worshiping the Creator. God has been gracious to all mankind and yet mankind has hardened their hearts against a loving God. God brings the rain on the just and unjust. God brings the beautiful sunrises and sunsets upon the just and unjust. God gives good gifts unto all and above all things he has given his Son that those who would believe in him would be saved. However, man has taken the good things of God and perverted them unto idols and turned their attention away from God. I get a feel for Jesus as he overlooked Jerusalem or Paul as he beseeched for God to save Israel. When you accept the reality of the truth of the glory of God is breaks your heart that people would turn away from the great and awesome God of heaven to serve lesser things. Moses was outraged by the golden calf, the prophets passionately preached against idolatry, Jesus was angered that the temple was changed in an idolatrous business, and Paul preached to the idolaters of Mars Hill by telling them of the unknown God.

I arrived back at home wondering how I should respond to all the idolatry that I have beheld in these last three weeks. I wondered how our church here in the states should respond to all of the idolatry in the world. What are the options? First, I suppose we could sit around and hope that people chose to get their life together and stop being idolaters. However, I do not know how that could ever happen apart from them hearing the truth. Second, I suppose we could spend a lifetime studying cultural issues and customs in hope that we could somehow learn to relate to the people of other countries. However, the bible is quite clear that all men are the same. Men are dead in sin, shaped in iniquity, and by nature are the enemies of God. Thirdly, we could pay other people or other agencies to go and do a work for us while we remain comfortably in the states. However, there is no way to insure that there will be doctrinal accuracy or integrity. If we only pay other people to take the gospel we will miss out on all of the benefits of being obedient to the mission of God. Lastly, we could seek where God would have us to do a lasting work and then invest our lives there for the glory of God. The gospel has the power to raise the dead in any culture and we must be willing to take the gospel wherever God would have us take it. It is for sure that our church cannot go to every country and reach every people group, so we must determine where God would have us work and seek to be obedient wherever that is.

It seems that some doors are opening in the Spanish speaking countries below us and perhaps God is beginning to reveal where we are to work. There are some options for work to be partnered with in Peru and there could be a couple of options in Mexico. The need is greater than I can express upon this paper for a biblical gospel to be proclaimed in Peru and Mexico. Oh, that God would glorify his great name in Peru and Mexico by using a small little church in a town that does not exist to proclaim his great gospel amongst a people who desperately need the truth.

I give thanks to the LORD for allowing me the privilege of going to these countries and broadening my horizons. The things that I have seen will be forever engraved upon my heart. I will long remember the pastors that I spent time with in Peru and I will never forget Adolfo who translated for me in Mexico. I will relish the time that I spent with Paul Washer and the others. When I think of church I will forever remember being on top of that mountain in Sullana at that church which had no electricity and no roof. I am convinced that heaven was looking down on that little church on top of that mountain and very few people on earth even know that it exist. Oh, God I pray that the things of this world will continue to grow dim and that God’s people will be caught up in his glorious presence.

Because of the truth: Pastor: J. Randall Easter II Timothy 2:19 "Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases."(Ps. 115:3) "He predestined us according to the good pleasure of His will."(Eph. 1:5) Those who have been saved have been saved for His glory and they are being made holy for this is the will of God. Are you being made holy? Spurgeon says, "If your religion does not make you holy it will damn you to hell."

“What are the options?”

“Quit proselytizing the Catholics.”

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It’s easier posturing for the Kingdom than actually sacrificing.

Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. Bishop Han Dingxiang 韓鼎詳, the underground Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Yong Nian 永年 in Hebei Province 河北省, died at 11 pm (Beijing time) on September 9 yesterday at the end of his almost 8 years imprisonment by the Chinese authority. --------------------------------- Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. Bishop Jia Zhiguo 賈冶國, the underground Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Zheng Ding 正定 in Hebei Province 河北, was arrested again by the Public Security and Religious Bureau at approximately 9:00 in the morning of August 23, 2007 (Beijing time). We do not know the reason of the bishop's arrest, nor do we know his current location. ------------------------------------------------ In addition, another priest, Father Wen Daoxiu of Beiwangli Village Qingyuan County Hebei, was also arrested on August 15, 2007 by the Public Security Bureau after the priest had just finished offering a Holy Mass. We do not know his whereabouts and the reason of his arrest. -------------------------------------------------------- In the afternoon of July 24, 2007, at the home of a Catholic faithful in the Ximeng region of Inner Mongolia three underground Roman Catholic priests from Xiwanzi Hebei were arrested by eight civilian-clothed policemen because they refused to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. ---------------------------------------------------- That's just a few of the thousands priests, nuns, laity, seminarians, postulants who have disappeared.------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grace isn't cheap.

“The Americas saw the greatest bloodshed among Catholic missionaries in 2005. (The Vatican treats North and South America as a single continent.) There were 8 priests, 2 nuns, and 2 monks killed in Latin America. Colombia, where 4 priests and 1 nun died violently, was the single bloodiest country. But Church personnel also died in Mexico, Brazil, and Jamaica.

Africa also saw considerable violence against Catholic evangelists, with 1 bishop, 6 priests, and 1 lay evangelist dying, in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Nigeria.

In Asia there were 3 priests killed in India, and 1 in Indonesia.

Nor was Europe spared: 1 priest was killed in Brussels, and 1 in Moscow. The Americas also furnished the greatest number of “martyrs for the faith” on the Fides list, with 10. Colombia and India each saw 5 natives killed.

The complete list includes:

Father Thomas Richard Heath, an American Dominican priest, killed by gunmen during a robbery in Kisumu, Kenya on January 13.

Father Thomas Harsidiyono, killed in another apparent robbery attempt in Java, Indonesia, on January 14.

Father Jan Hermanovsky, a Slovakian priest serving in Russia, killed by intruders at his parish in Brjansk on January 20.

Father Manuel Delgado, a Franciscan priest, whose badly beaten body was found outside Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, on February 6.

Sister Dorothy Stang, and American sister of Notre Dame and naturalized Brazilian citizen, was killed at Anapu, Brazil, on February 12. An outspoken defender of indigenous tribes, she had received several death threats before her assassination.

Father Mathew Uzhuthal, an Indian priest, died on May 1 as the result of multiple stabbing wounds he had received 19 days earlier when he was assailed by a young man with a long criminal record at his rectory in Patna, India.

Father Rene de Haes, a Belgian Jesuit priest who had served in Africa since 1959, was killed by gunfire as he drove north of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 7.

Father Robert De Leener, a Belgian priest, was killed on June 5 by a homeless man whom he had invited into his rectory in Brussels.

Bishop Luigi Locati, an Italian native who was preparing to retire after 40 years in the missions, was killed on July 14 near the office where he worked as apostolic vicar of the Isiolo diocese. Msgr. Luis Enrique Rojas, died on July 21, three weeks after being fatally wounded by robbers at the cathedral rectory in Barranquila, Colombia. Msgr. Rojas had survived another assault in December 2004.

Father Paulo Henrique Machado, a Brazilian priest, was killed by unknown assailants near Rio de Janeiro on July 25. Although money and a wristwatch were taken from his body, police believe that the killing was prompted by his active denunciation of human-rights abuses and drug trafficking.

Father Godwin Okwesili, a Nigerian priest, was killed by intruders at his parish in Lago on August 2.
Father Vicente Rozo Bavona, a Colombian priest, was killed along with Father Jesus Emilio Mora on August 15, when rebel guerrillas ambushed the car in which they were driving to celebrate Mass.

Father Jesus Emilio Mora, a Colombian priest, died witih Father Bavona (above) on August 15.

Father Jesus Adrian Sanchez, also a Colombian priest, was killed on August 18 by a rebel guerrilla who burst into a classroom where he was teaching religious education, in the Chaparral region.

Father Francois Djikulo, was killed sometime in August by rebels in Mutendele, in the Democratic Republic, as he attempted a personal peace initiative. He died alongside his lay associate, Simon Kayimbi, apparently after brutal treatment.

Simon Kayimbi, a Congolese lay catechist, died with Father Dikulo (above) in August.

Father Mathew Nellickal, an Indian priest and vicar general of the Tezpur diocese, was found dead at his home on September 3.

Father Giuseppe Bessone, an Italian missionary priest, was killed by a young robber at his parish in Blumenau, Brazil, on September 2.

Father Angelo Redaelli, an Italian Franciscan priest serving in Africa, was killed by a mob in Owando, in Congo-Brazzaville, on September 12.

Father Ignazio Bara, an Indian priest, was killed on September 12 when he tried to intervene during an attack by Hindu fundamentalists on Christian villagers in Simdega, India.

Father Luis Velasquez Romero, a Mexican priest, was killed by gunmen in Tijuana on October 25. The killers are believed to have been involved in drug trafficking.

Sister Suresh Barwa, an Indian nun of the Miissionaries of the Poor, was killed alongside Brother Marco Candelario Lasbuna in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 27.

Marco Candelario Lasbuna, a native of the Philippines who was also a member of the Missionaries of Charity, died with Sister Barwa (above) on October 27. The two were killed by a single bullet, shot by an unknown attacker, as they worked in the kitchen of a community residence.

Sister Margarita Vásquez Sandino, a Colombian nun, was killed on November 11 in Medellin as she was traveling to visit a sick relative. The motive was believed to be robbery.

Father Philip Valayam, a Salesian priest from India, was killed by intruders in the rectory of the parish where he was serving in Nairobi, Kenya, when he returned home after celebrating midnight Mass for Christmas.

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