Dr.
Don Bierle
Loving In Deed and
Truth
With Valentine's Day in February, it is appropriate that my
thoughts for this newsletter should focus on love. Over the
years, I have often wondered if my love for people is "intense
enough." The Holy Spirit revealed to the apostle Paul that
even if I "have the gift of inspired preaching" and
"have all knowledge and understand all secrets" and
"have all the faith needed to move mountains," but
"if I have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians
13:2 TEV). Sobering!
Two thoughts have helped me. One comes from C.S. Lewis, my
mentor (through his writings). His advice was to "not waste
time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you
did" (emphasis added). For more than thirty years I
have been proclaiming the Gospel with evidence. I do not
always have the emotional intensity of love feelings toward
people I minister to. But I eagerly take every invitation I
can to go and tell them about Jesus, because I know that is
what I would do if I truly love them.
The second helpful insight comes from Scripture. The apostle
John described the recipients of both his second and third letters
as those "whom I love in the truth" (2 John 1; 3 John
1). Our loving Lord Jesus repeatedly prefaced his teaching with,
"Truly, truly, I say to you" (thirty times each in
Matthew and John). Jesus Christ is "the truth" (John
14:6) and God's Word is "truth" (John 17:17). God
has given us "the Spirit of Truth" to teach us and
to enable us to know truth (John 14:16-17; 16:13).
Fellowship in the truth produces a breadth of love as wide
as the communion of faith. Christian love is not mere sentimentalism
or humanistic compassion. It arose from the truth which has
been revealed in Christ. This truth is the only sure basis of
Christian love, the love which is "poured out within our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans
5:5).
Therefore, to the people to whom I minister, I say sincerely,
"I love you" in both "deed and truth" (1
John 3:18).
Carlos
Fernández
Ministry Dollars Making Sense
Preaching and teaching in Mexico reminds me of the credit card
commercial. You know the one. Getting to Mexico City cost $358.88.
Housing was free from a ministry partner. If the only thing
I did was to train others in presenting the Gospel with evidence,
it would be a bargain. In fact I trained forty presenters in
Mexico City, and seventeen in Mérida, in southern Mexico,
so our cost comes to $6.29 per person. Being able to strengthen
their faith and equip them with arguments for defending the
historicity of the New Testament and the deity of Christ—well,
that's absolutely priceless!
These fifty-seven pastors and seminary students have committed
together to reach at least 5,000 people this year with
the FaithSearch message. This extended ministry
comes from fifty-seven CDs which cost the ministry a total of
$33.63. The harvest for eternity, again, is absolutely priceless!
When I traveled to meet with Campus Crusade workers at the
Universidad Autónoma de México—the largest in
Latin America with 290,000 students—it cost another 30 pesos
($2.76). The possibilities of our partnership in Christ are
absolutely endless!
Riding the Mexico City metro required 2 pesos ($0.18 U.S.)
but seeing the smiles of my two new friends who gave their lives
to Jesus on the ride-yes, you guessed it: priceless!
Buying a turnover at the coal grill tended by María
de los Ángeles, a 12-year old orphan street vendor is
10 pesos. Hearing her tell you that she has just received the
Lord and her inviting you to ask the Lord to send her a Dad…
Well, how many pesos per tear of Joy?
The cost of preaching to several hundreds in Mexico City, Xonacatlan,
and Cancún can be calculated. Seeing the hands raised
so firmly and so high in the balcony, however, by those who
have finally arrived at the conviction that Jesus is Lord, and
I must abandon my arithmetic and simply bow before Him.
<
Back to HTML Table of Contents >
