God has Good Plans for You

Posted on April 21, 2021 by eig

In a previous post I shared about how Israel was sent to captivity by God for refusing to obey him. But God didn’t give up on Israel. God promises his people that when the seventy years are over (70 years was the years Babylon would rule) he would “visit” them, and give them his good word to bring them back to the Promised Land (Jer. 25:11-14). God would punish Babylon and put an end to the captivity of His people. Those who would return would be their children and grandchildren.

“For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place.” (HCSB and subsequent verses)

God’s good word for Israel (Judah) is that discipline would not be forever. There would come a time when God would “visit” them to intervene and bring them back to the land He gave them as inheritance. God would intervene in their future. If God is disciplining you, wait for his visit. His visit will be pleasant when you have learned what He wants to teach you

In Jeremiah 29:11 God shares his plans for his people:
“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

God’s plans for his people Israel were not of complete destruction. God wanted peace for them, not evil. This evil they would experience because of their disobedience for the 70 years would not be forever. Even there he promises to give them peace. In the end, God would give them what they hoped for, to live again in the Promised Land. But God had to discipline his people. Their sanctification was first, before anything else. This would hurt them, but it would bring them back to their God that they had abandoned. But only the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who would experience this.

God’s plans, in this context, and even for us are not in terms of specific or individual plans for each. Plans have to do with the general future of His people. As for specific plans we know that our lives are safe in Christ. The blessings of his grace in Christ are incomparable (Read Ephesians 1). We know that God’s plans are always good for His people. God always wants what is best for us. He wants to give us peace, good and not evil. But many times this is not possible when we live in disobedience to Him. He’ll have to purge us. This process will not be easy or necessarily short. It may be painful. There may be a lot of crying as there was in Israel (read Lamentations). It is important to understand that our sins bring consequences from God. They’re not good consequences. But this doesn’t change God’s plans for us. His plans are our welfare and peace (shalom). He’ll never leave us. He will always be with us even in the midst of our lamenting for our sins.

God’s promise is given in Jeremiah 29:12-13. First we see the condition and promise:
“You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. “

In exile, the people will realize their evil they have done against the Lord and will call upon the Lord. They will “come” to him in prayer asking for his intervention. God would hear them. In exile, the people would seek him wholeheartedly and they would find him.

Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.“
And also in Lamentations 3:31-32 it says,

“For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if He causes suffering,
He will show compassion
according to His abundant, faithful love.“

God is good, always good. If he afflicts, it’s because we need it. But he does not reject us away forever, He is ready to listen to us when we are ready to return to Him looking for Him. This message is for everyone. If you have not given your life to Christ, you can believe in Him today. God is waiting for you to do that! He wants you to seek him for salvation from your sins. He will listen to you when you cry out to Him with all your heart. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.“

If you are already a Christian but have become a disobedient believer, he wants you to look for him.

God’s Promise:
“I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”

God promises to be found when people seek Him with all their hearts. He would bring his people back to the Promised Land, no matter where they were. God would restore them completely.
Just as the Father restored the prodigal son who returned home after realizing his foolishness, God would do with them. Likewise, he does so with all who are far from Him because of rebellion. He’s ready to receive you, if you repent and look for him.

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Living as Exiles in a Foreign Land

Posted on April 20, 2021 by eig
source:morgue file

Israel was called to be the light of nations and failed. This brought exile, banishment from the Promised Land. God used the nation of Babylon for this. The conquest of God’s people (Judah) was inevitable. Their disobedience had come to its full measure before God. They rejected God’s correction time after time and decided to follow their own path of idolatry. God raised up the nation of Babylon to execute discipline to His people. This discipline was severe. The nation was violently conquered in 605 A.C. Thousands of Jewish people were taken to Babylon as captives, especially those with special abilities (this would prevent them from planning to rise up against Babylon). There were three deportations that took place (605 A.C, 597 A.C., 586 A.C.), leaving the city of Jerusalem desolate. Only poor people remained, with few skills with a puppet king imposed by Babylon (for eleven years there was king in Babylon and Jerusalem simultaneously until 586 when banishment was completed). The picture was very sad.

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied in Israel more than forty years beginning from the approximate age of eighteen (627 A.C – 586 A.C.). He was a witness to the conquest and exile. Jeremiah gives the Lord’s command (Jeremiah 29:1-7) to those in exile.

The command is that they must live as believers in Babylon and accept the inevitable of living in a foreign land.

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” (vv. 4-5) (NIV)

The message is not from Jeremiah to the exiles but from God. He’s just the spokesman. God is the one who is sovereignly working in this event. It was He who was responsible for this exile: “says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

They had had it all upon entering the Promised Land. The land was ready to be settled when they arrived. They didn’t have to do much. But their disobedience had now led them to a foreign land where God commands them to start over. They failed to be God’s people by being the light of nations. Building houses, planting orchards and eating the fruit of them would be the way to survive and sustain themselves in Babylon.

They had to accept the inevitable, for it came from God, and accept exile by living in the land of others. In the midst of a pagan nation they should live and remain God’s people for 70 years. Despite this, they were told  to live normal lives and be productive. They were to submit to the discipline of the Lord. This was hard.

The parallel for us is very similar. The Lord prayed to the Father for his disciples not to take them out of the world but to keep them from evil and sanctify them in his truth (John 17:15, 17). They were sent into the world so that they may be witnesses, and others may believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:18, 20).

The way we, as believers should live in this world is clear. We live in the world but we are not of the world. We live apart from evil, sanctifying ourselves in the truth of God. We are constantly “going” into the world when we interact with them and we share with them the Good News of Christ.

This involves being responsable for the resources God has given us. God has not left us to depend on government or to live a nomadic life without stability or productivity. But the purpose is not to possess, win, and enrich ourselves but to be to use the resources God gives us for the purposes of his kingdom.

In addition, the Lord commands them to maintain family life and multiply themselves.

“Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease..” (v. 6)

Not only should they accept to live in the land that wasn’t theirs and be productive, but they should maintain a vibrant family life that multiplies (it was God’s first mandate in Gen. 2:15). Many of his compatriots would live together in certain communities, marry each other, and continue to multiply. In no way did the Lord command them to marry and mingle with the Babylonians. The idea is to maintain their identity as God’s people and grow until the Lord took them out of exile.
This certainly implies that parents would raise their children in the ways of the Lord. The Jews were very diligent in this and would now do so in the midst of a pagan nation.

Our call is the same. Looking at the culture in which we live and the influence it exerts on our lives as Christians, it is something to be concerned especially for our children. I was talking about this with my eldest son recently. I was telling him that I worry about how they would raise their children because the world knows how to disciple them and make them their followers. Christian parents today do not disciple their children, they do not even know how to do it and this is alarming. If we believe that our sons or daughters will believe what we believe because they go to church on Sundays, we are dreaming. The work we have to do involves more than this. It is our responsibility as a father and mother to teach them how to live as believers in exile. If we don’t, let’s not expect them to be committed Christians. And it all starts with our own life as an example. If we do not understand the commitment that involves being part of the Lord’s church and do not commit ourselves to being faithful members, what can we expect from our children?

Finally, the Lord commands you to seek the peace for the city and pray for her.

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The people of Israel prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and for her well-being (Psalm 122:6-9). This was to be expected. But now the Lord commands them to pray to the Lord for the peace of Babylon. Pray for the pagan city that had caused them harm. Pray for the pagan city that would no doubt now look at them with spite. This is praying for the enemies the Lord commanded us in His Word:

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:44-47)

Loving those who are our friends, those who love us is easy. That’s what everyone does. But the believer is called to a higher standard. The Lord commands us to more than this. He commands us to pray, to love, and to do good to those who are difficult to love.

This is what the Lord commands His people to do in Babylon and implies that God would listen to his prayers there and give peace to the city. And God’s people would benefit from this peace. They could live in peace and multiply to be ready for homecoming.

Asking for peace also involves living in peace. God did not command them to fight to free themselves from them. He asked them to pray for their peace so that they too could enjoy peace. God would be the one who would deliver them and rescue them at the end of 70 years.

Seeking peace involves seeking the well-being of the city and this also means serving. In Jeremiah 27:17 he tells them, “Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin?”

The false prophets told them not to serve Babylon because they would not be in exile for no more than two years. The Lord tells them not to follow their advice if they wanted to live. They must serve the king of Babylon.

We are not in exile like Judah, nor are we being disciplined by the Lord. But the truth is that we are foreigners in this world (1 Peter 2:11). We’re pilgrims on the way. However, these principles apply to us. We can live the life that pleases God in a world dominated by the evil one. But this is not to boast and to condemn the world, but to show a better way to live. We must pray for our city, our state, and our country for peace. In this peace we will have opportunities to share Christ’s message.

Our light must shine not only in the way we live but also in our service in a world dominated by darkness. This will give us the opportunity to share the Good News of Christ, the Light of the World. We have a mission as long as we are in the place God has placed us, until He comes for us His people.

Living in the world by being like the world, adapting to its culture is not our call. Living in the world seeking our prosperity in order to have more and have more “treasures” on earth is not our call. Our prosperity must benefit others and be invested in the purposes of their kingdom.

Application Questions:

How are you seeking peace where God has placed you to be His representative?

How are you contributing toward peace and for the benefit of the community?

How are you striving to make sure your family has a good reputation in your community? How are you teaching your children to live in exile?

Are you praying for those who are not your friends (enemies)? How can you show them God’s love in a tangible way?

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Viviendo en Exilio como Peregrinos

Posted on April 20, 2021 by eig
fuente: Morgue file

Israel fue llamado para ser luz de las naciones y falló. Esto trajo el exilio o ser desterrado de la Tierra Prometida. Dios usó a la nación de Babilonia para esto. La conquista del pueblo de Dios (Judá) fue inevitable. La desobediencia de ellos había llegado a colmo ante Dios. Vez tras vez rechazaron la corrección de Dios y decidieron seguir su propio camino hacia la idolatría. Dios levantó a la nación de Babilonia para ejecutar disciplina para su pueblo. Esta disciplina fue severa. La nación fue conquistada violentamente en el año 605 A.C. Miles de personas judías fueron llevadas a Babilonia como cautivos, especialmente aquellos que tenían habilidades especiales (esto evitaría que planearan levantarse en contra de Babilonia). Hubo tres deportaciones que se llevaron a cabo (605 A.C, 597 A.C., 586 A.C.), dejando la ciudad de Jerusalén desolada. Solo quedó la gente pobre, con pocas habilidades con un rey títere impuesto por Babilonia (por once año hubo rey en Babilonia y en Jerusalén simultáneamente hasta el año 586 cuando se completó el destierro). El panorama fue muy triste.

El profeta Jeremías profetizó en Israel más de cuarenta años comenzando desde la edad aproximada de dieciocho (627 A.C – 586 A.C.). Presenció la conquista y el exilio.

Jeremías les da el mandato del Señor (Jeremías 29:1-7) a los que estaban en el exilio.

El mandato es que deben vivir como creyentes en Babilonia y aceptar lo inevitable de vivir en tierra ajena.

“Así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos, Dios de Israel, a todos los de la cautividad que hice transportar de Jerusalén a Babilonia:
Edificad casas, y habitadlas; y plantad huertos, y comed del fruto de ellos.”

El mensaje no es de Jeremías a los exiliados sino de Dios. El es solo el portavoz. Dios es el que está soberanamente obrando en este evento. Fue Él quien es responsable de este exilio, “a todos los de la cautividad que hice transportar de Jerusalén a Babilonia”.

Ellos lo habían tenido todo al entrar a la Tierra Prometida. La tierra estaba lista para ser tomada. Ellos no tuvieron que hacer mucho. Pero su desobediencia ahora los había llevado a una tierra ajena donde Dios les manda a comenzar de nuevo. Fallaron en ser el pueblo de Dios siendo luz de las naciones. Construir casas, plantar huertos y comer el fruto de ellos sería la forma de subsistir en Babilonia.

Ellos debían aceptar lo inevitable, ya que venía de Dios, y aceptar el exilio viviendo en tierra ajena. En medio de una nación pagana deberían vivir y seguir siendo el pueblo de Dios por 70 años. A pesar de lo anormal de su estadía, deberían normalizar su vida y ser productivos. Debían someterse a la disciplina del Señor.

El paralelo para nosotros es muy similar. El Señor oró al Padre por sus discípulos que no los quitara del mundo sino que los guardara del mal y los santificara en su verdad (Juan 17:15, 17). Fueron enviados al mundo para que puedan ser sus testigos y otros puedan creer en el Señor Jesucristo (Juan 17:18, 20).

La manera de vivir nuestra en este mundo es clara. Vivimos en el mundo pero no somos del mundo. Vivimos apartados del mal, santificándonos en la verdad de Dios. Estamos constantemente “yendo” al mundo cuando interactuamos con ellos y les compartimos la Buenas Nuevas de Cristo.

Esto implica ser responsables con los recursos que Dios nos ha dado. Dios no nos ha dejado para depender del gobierno o para vivir una vida nómada sin estabilidad ni productividad. Pero el propósito no es poseer, ganar, y enriquecernos sino para ser usar los recursos que Dios nos da para los propósitos de su reino.

Además, el Señor les manda que mantengan la vida familiar y multiplíquense más. 

“Casaos, y engendrad hijos e hijas; dad mujeres a vuestros hijos, y dad maridos a vuestras hijas, para que tengan hijos e hijas; y multiplicaos ahí, y no os disminuyáis.” (v. 6)

No solo deberían aceptar vivir en tierra ajena y ser productivos sino que deberían mantener una vida familiar vivaz que se multiplica (fue su mandato en Gén. 2:15). Muchos de sus compatriotas vivirían juntos en ciertas comunidades, podían casarse entre ellos y seguir multiplicándose. De ninguna manera les mandó el Señor a casarse y mezclarse con los Babilonios. La idea es de mantener su identidad como pueblo de Dios y crecer hasta que el Señor les sacara del exilio.
Esto sin duda implica que los padres criarían a sus hijos en los caminos del Señor. Los judíos eran muy diligentes en esto y ahora lo harían en medio de una nación pagana.

Nuestro llamado es igual. Al mirar la cultura en la que vivimos y la influencia que ejerce en nuestras vidas como cristianos, me causa preocupación por nuestros hijos. Hablaba de esto con mi hijo mayor hace poco. Le decía que me preocupa como ellos criaran a sus hijos porque el mundo sabe como discipularlos para convertirlos en sus seguidores. Los papás cristianos hoy día no discipulan a sus hijos, ni siquiera saben como hacerlo y esto es alarmante. Si creemos que nuestros hijos o hijas van a creer lo que nosotros creemos porque van a la iglesia los domingos, estamos soñando. El trabajo que debemos hacer envuelve más que esto. Es nuestra responsabilidad como padre de enseñarles a cómo vivir como creyentes en exilio. Si no lo hacemos, no esperemos que serán cristianos comprometidos. Y todo comienza con nuestra propia vida como modelo. Si nosotros no entendemos el compromiso que envuelve ser parte de la iglesia del Señor y no nos comprometemos a ser miembros fieles, ¿qué podemos esperar de nuestros hijos?

Finalmente, el Señor les manda que busquen la paz de la ciudad y oren por ella.

“Y procurad la paz de la ciudad a la cual os hice transportar, y rogad por ella a Jehová; porque en su paz tendréis vosotros paz.” (v. 7)

El pueblo de Israel oraba por la paz de Jerusalén y por su bienestar (Salmo 122:6-9). Esto era de esperarse. Pero ahora el Señor les manda a que oren a Jehová por la paz de Babilonia. Orar por la ciudad pagana que les había causado daño. Orar por la ciudad pagana que sin duda ahora los miraría con despecho. Esto es orar por los enemigos que el Señor nos mandó en su Palabra:

“Pero yo os digo: Amad a vuestros enemigos, bendecid a los que os maldicen, haced bien a los que os aborrecen, y orad por los que os ultrajan y os persiguen;
para que seáis hijos de vuestro Padre que está en los cielos, que hace salir su sol sobre malos y buenos, y que hace llover sobre justos e injustos.” Mateo 5:44-45

Amar a los que son nuestros amigos, a los que nos aman es fácil. Eso lo hacen todos dice el Señor. Pero el creyente es llamado a un estándar más alto. El Señor nos manda a más que esto. Nos manda a orar, amar, y hacer el bien a los que son difíciles de amar.

Esto es lo que el Señor le manda a su pueblo que haga en Babilonia e implica que Dios escucharía su plegarias y daría paz a la ciudad. Y el pueblo de Dios se beneficiaría de esta paz. Ellos podrían vivir en paz y multiplicarse para estar listos para el regreso a casa.

Pedir por la paz envuelve también vivir en paz. Dios no les mandó a pelear para liberarse de ellos. Les pidió que oraran por su paz para que ellos también pudieran disfrutar de paz. Dios sería el que les libraría y les rescataría al cumplirse los 70 años.

Buscar la paz es buscar el bienestar y esto implica servir. En Jeremías 27:17 les dice,
“No los oigáis; servid al rey de Babilonia y vivid; ¿por qué ha de ser desolada esta ciudad?”

Los falsos profetas les decían que no sirvieran a Babilonia ya que no estarían en exilio más de dos años. El Señor les dice que no lo hagan si quieren vivir. Deben servir al rey de Babilonia.

No estamos en exilio como Judá, ni estamos siendo disciplinados por el Señor. Pero la verdad es que somos extranjeros en este mundo (1 Pedro 2:11). Somos peregrinos de paso. Sin embargo estos principios aplican a nosotros. Podemos vivir la vida que agrada a Dios en un mundo dominado por el maligno. Pero no para jactarnos y condenar al mundo, sino para mostrar un mejor camino.
Debemos orar por nuestra ciudad, nuestro Estado y nuestro país para que haya paz. En esta paz nosotros podremos tener oportunidades para compartir el mensaje de Cristo.

Nuestra luz debe brillar no solo en nuestra manera de vivir sino también en nuestro servicio en un mundo dominado por la oscuridad. Esto nos dará la oportunidad de compartir las Buenas Noticias de Cristo, la Luz del Mundo. Tenemos una misión mientras estemos en el lugar que Dios nos ha puesto hasta que el venga por nosotros Su pueblo.

Vivir en el mundo siendo como el mundo, adaptándonos a su cultura no es el llamado nuestro. Vivir en el mundo buscando nuestra prosperidad con el fin de tener más y tener más “tesoros” en la tierra, no es nuestro llamado. La prosperidad nuestra debe beneficiar a otros y ser invertida en los propósitos de su reino.

 

Preguntas de aplicación:

¿Cómo estás buscando la paz en donde Dios te a puesto para ser su representante?

¿Cómo estás contribuyendo a la paz y al beneficio de la comunidad?

¿Cómo estás esforzándote para que tu familia sea un buen testimonio en tu comunidad? ¿Cómo estás enseñado a tus hijos a vivir en exilio?

¿Estás orando por los que no son tus amigos (enemigos)? ¿Cómo puedes mostrarles el amor de Dios en un manera tangible?

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Serie de Sermones: 1 Tesalonicenses

Posted on April 19, 2021 by eig

Serie sobre 1 Tesalonicenses. Videos aquí.

Perfil de un Convertido a Cristo 1 Tesalonicences.mp3

Perfil de un servidor de Dios 1 Tesalonicenses 2.1_6.mp3

Las Coronas que valen la pena 1 Tesalonicenses 2.17_3.5.mp3

Motivado por la fe de Otros 1 Tesalonicenses 3.6_13.mp3

Agradando a Dios en nuestra manera de Vivir 1 Tesalonicenses 4.1_12.mp3

Nuestra Esperanza Futura y la Venida del Señor 1 Tesalonicenses 4.13-18.mp3

Velando hasta la Venida de Cristo 1 Tesalonicenses 5.1_11.mp3

Honrando a lideres corrigiendo miembros 1 Tesalonicenses 5.12.mp3

Viviendo en la Voluntad de Dios 1 Tesalonicenses 5.16_28.mp3

Videos en Youtube aquí

 

En Inglés:

Our Future Hope and the Coming of the Lord 1Thessalonians 4.13_18.mp3

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Mantén el Don de Dios Ardiendo

Posted on April 14, 2021 by eig

Pablo escribió 2 Timoteo como una carta personal a Timoteo su hijo en la fe. Era un poco más joven que Pablo y no sólo había recibido un don de Dios relacionado con el ministerio, sino que también había aprendido ministerio junto a él. En los primeros versículos, le recuerda a Timoteo que mantenga en llamas este don que había recibido a través de su imposición de manos. No tenemos idea de lo que estaba pasando en la vida de Timoteo. Tal vez estaba luchando para seguir adelante en el ministerio. Tal vez estaba desanimado y temeroso. Después de todo, no era fácil ser cristiano o líder en ese entonces. Había mucha oposición y persecución.

Pablo le escribió a Timoteo:

“Por lo cual te aconsejo que avives el fuego del don de Dios que está en ti por la imposición de mis manos.7 Porque no nos ha dado Dios espíritu de cobardía, sino de poder, de amor y de dominio propio.” (2 Tim. 1:6-7) RV60

Pablo le recuerda a Timoteo que no debe renunciar a usar el don que Dios le ha dado. Dios le ha dado Su Espíritu

fuente: morgue

para usarlo. Y el Espíritu de Dios no nos hace temerosos ni tímidos. Podemos avanzar y no quedarnos paralizados por el miedo. Si estamos paralizados, no es obra del Espíritu. Por el contrario, Él nos da el poder de llevar a cabo lo que Él nos ha llamado a hacer sin importar las circunstancias que enfrentamos. Tenemos su poder disponible. Nos da amor por amar a los demás. Amar a la gente no siempre es fácil, pero el Espíritu de Dios nos ayuda. Y nos da autodisciplina que no es lo mismo que ser tímido. El Espíritu nos ayuda a evitar que nos inclinemos a la auto-deprecación o a la autosuficiencia.

Esto fue alentador para mí esta mañana, y espero que sea para ti en lo que Dios te haya llamado a hacer. No tiene que ser un trabajo formal en la iglesia. Tu llamamiento es donde Dios te tiene, dónde vives, dónde trabajas y dónde disfrutas de la vida.

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Keep the Aflame the Gift God gave You

Posted on April 14, 2021 by eig

Paul wrote 2 Timothy as a personal letter to Timothy his son in the faith. He was a bit younger that Paul and had not only received a gift from God related to ministry but also learned ministry alongside of him. In the first verses, he reminds Timothy to keep aflame this gift he had received through his laying of hands. We have no idea what was going on in Timothy’s life. Maybe he was struggling to keep going in ministry. Maybe he was discouraged and fearful. After all, it wasn’t easy to be a Christian or a leader back then. There was a lot of opposition and persecution.

Paul wrote to Timothy:

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (NIV)

source: morgue file

Paul reminds Timothy that he shouldn’t give up using the gift God has given him. God has given him His Spirit to use it. And God’s Spirit does not make us fearful or timid. We can move forward and not be paralyzed with fear. If we are, it is not the Spirit’s doing. On the contrary, He gives us the power to carry out what He has called us to do no matter what circumstances we may be facing. We have his power available. He gives us love to love others. Loving people is not always easy but God’s Spirit helps us. And he gives us self-discipline which is not the same as being timid. The Spirit helps us keep us from tilting either to self-deprecation or self-sufficiency.

This was encouraging to me this morning, and I hope it is to you in whatever God has called you to do. It doesn’t have to be some formal church job. Your calling is where God has you, where you live, where you work and where ever you enjoy life.

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Becoming Learners of Cultures and Ethnicities

Posted on April 6, 2021 by eig

Being a Hispanic American, and having been part of two cultures and languages most of my life, I have learned a few things that can help us in relating to other cultures. These are simple things to keep in mind and practice to become intentional learners of other people’s cultures.

1. Be proactive in learning people’s stories.

This implies spending time to listen to people’s stories that includes their cultural and religious background. This is a good principle in general. I often take out new families out for lunch. During this time I purposely ask about their stories. I try to learn as much as I can from them. It helps me to understand them.

2. Ask sincere questions.

When you are listening to people’s stories, ask questions to understand the other person. If you don’t know something about a particular culture, ask, don’t assume. This is a good practice. I often ask questions using a sincere tone in my voice. I really want to convey to them that I am interested in what they are saying. Depending on the culture, there is also an expected reaction from the speaker from another culture.

In the Hispanic culture, we love using non verbal expressions to show that we are listening. We often over do it because we want to show that we care. If you show no expressions with a Hispanic, they often think you don’t care. I remember a Hispanic lady who was part of our church, and was an expert in marketing. She met with a former communication director to give him ideas. Throughout the whole conversation he showed no emotion. Privately, she asked me later on, why he just sat quietly listening with no reactions. This was very puzzling for her.

3. Be culturally sensitive.

This means not asking or saying things that can be interpreted as rude. If you make a mistake, apologize to the other person. Hispanics in any personal conversation or even digital, usually address the person with a greeting such as “Good morning”, “Good afternoon” or “Good evening”. In the American culture we are so task oriented that we go directly to what we want. Since I work with many Americans, I am used to this “transactional” type of conversations and I have done it many times with Hispanics. But this is not culturally sensitive. It is rude. I try to keep track of my audience to avoid this.

4. Be aware of your cultural, ethnic and religious preferences and prejudices.

We all have them. This can be very subtle because we act based on what WE consider to be the norm. We often act thinking that what we believe regarding culture is what others should accept without any questions. For example, take the concept of family. Hispanics are family oriented and their kids are part of everything they do. We have many of our families who bring in their children to our services. This is expected. In our American culture, children have a separate place for learning on Sundays. This is a cultural preference and we should be aware of it and not expect it from someone from a different cultural or ethnic background.  

5. Make room in your life to ask for opinions and voices from people of other cultures.

Their opinions are just as valuable as ours. Diversity of thought is profitable and valuable, not a detriment. It enriches us with knowledge and understanding that we wouldn’t otherwise possess. We should ask with the intention of learning and applying what is helpful for our context.

6. Be intentional in making changes that reflect a multiethnic community.

These changes should be planned, aligned with a clear purpose and expectations. Changes that are a response or reaction to our current political status will not last.

Having speakers from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds in an organization should be something to implement and so should diversifying the staff to reflect the diversity of the community.In the church I serve, our campus is Spanish speaking but during our services we offer translation to English for anyone who would like to join us. I also intentionally schedule other speakers from other cultural backgrounds to come and teach with a translator. This sends a message that we value everyone and we want to be multiethnic. 

If you want to learn more, there are many good books out there. But the best way to learn is to start connecting personally with people of other cultures and ethnicities. It is not easy, but remember that many of them have taken the first step to be here in America, a place unbeknown to them. This was harder. Reach out with an open heart, I can assure you won’t be rejected!

Related post:

Hispanics Cultural Distinctives

Becoming Learners of Cultures and Ethnicities

 

 

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Ethnicity, Culture and My Identity

Posted on April 6, 2021 by eig

My ethnicity and my culture do not define who I am.

I don’t recall I have ever written publicly on this subject with the except for writing a short biography many years ago when I was a teacher. But before I share my thoughts about that statement, here is a bit of my ethnic and cultural background. I was born in El Salvador and lived in a rural area near the capital until I was about ten years old. My first language was Spanish. Salvadoreans share many of the general cultural distinctives as many other Hispanics (my preferred term, others use “Latino”). You can learn about them in a series of posts I wrote a while ago. For a reason, I was not told or considered, my mother, a single mom of nine decided to come to the United States along with three of my sisters where three of my other sisters were already living. We came as immigrants. How we got here is a story of its own and I often don’t share it. 

Growing up in a rural place I was impressed with the modern amenities of California. As I look back, I remember the bright illuminated sign of the “Lucky” grocery store in Orange County. From there we moved to Los Angeles for about a year. My first experience was a culture shock on my first day in Jr. High. I spoke no English and I did not understand the educational system. A translator was assigned to me to help me communicate throughout the day. I had a normal schedule which included ESL classes for two periods. I noticed many of my peers were Hispanics like me, but their behavior and conduct in the classroom appalled me. I could hardly believe what I saw and heard. Mr. Rico, my Puerto Rican ESL teacher had it hard and I felt sorry for him. Despite this, I quickly started learning English and on one occasion I had the opportunity to sing “Silent Night” in my ESL class.

What remains of the house I grew up in El Salvador

We moved from LA to Orange County after that year. Santa Ana became my home, starting on Minnie street and ending on E. Flora Street (see more about these two places in post here) until I got married. I learned English quickly and by High School I was already fluent. It was during my Jr. High years in 1983 that was invited (I wrote a short post here about my friend who introduced me to what it means to be a Christian) to a Hispanic Baptist Church that had recently been started by a former missionary in Colombia. He spoke Spanish fluently and the church thrived under his leadership. It was here that I came to faith in Christ at the age of fourteen. It was here I developed a love for the church. I became involved early on. It was also here when I “fell in love” with my wife a bit later. We have been married for a long time now, have raised two children and have two adopted ones, one of which we are currently raising. With all of them, we have shared both our ethnic/cultural heritage in addition to our faith.

During my second year of High School, I tested out of High School and went to Santa Ana College.  It took me four years to finish my AA while I was working to pay for my school. I rode a bike that was handed down to me to go to work. At the beginning of my college journey, I was still an immigrant, on poverty level and didn’t know much about the financial aid available for school for those like me. So, I paid my own tuition. My family never received any public aid either. My sisters worked in a factory, my mom stayed home, and baby sat her grandkids. My two other young sisters went to school as well. We became legal residents a bit after the 1986 Amnesty under President Ronald Reagan. In 1995 I became a US citizen.

I have now lived in the Unites States for most of my life, have attended graduate schools, lived in three States, and have been part of both Spanish and English-speaking churches. I consider myself an American with a Hispanic heritage. Culturally, I am in between the Hispanic and American culture as many other Hispanics in the United States. I don’t fit perfectly in either one. From my perspective, both cultures have good characteristic and unfavorable ones. I strive to learn the good ones from both.

From all my years in the United States the issue of how I have been treated in relation to my ethnicity and culture is something I can talk in a general way. I cannot assert that I have ever been openly discriminated. However, this this doesn’t mean I have not felt a subtle prejudice and mistreatment because of it. On one occasion, a friend who was American (I use this to refer to “White American” as commonly used. I am very uneasy referring to people by color of their skin) and had mentored me, told me I had been discriminated when I applied to a seminary. He encouraged me to defend myself and even wrote a letter in my favor. There was a case when I was a teacher where I felt discriminated for being a Hispanic. I was told I wasn’t a “fit” for the school even though my reputation as good teacher was well established among parents, teachers, and students. During my time there, I never had a bad review related to my work. Thinking back, this and other moments, I believe some of them were due because of my ethnic and cultural background. It could be argued that it was not the case, that it was perhaps due to my way of thinking, character and/or my personality or something else I don’t know. But my cultural background and heritage is part of who I am. As much as I want to believe that I have not been prejudged or treated differently because of my cultural background, I have found questioning myself if this is so. I have not let this kept me from doing what I believe God has called me to do.

As a pastor working with Hispanics and Americans, some Hispanics see me (and have told me) as the “Hispanic Gringo”. They don’t see me as “full” Hispanic. I assume (it seems obvious to me) that some Americans see me as a Hispanic and not as American. I understand that I can never be 100% Hispanic and 100% American in the “pure” sense of the word (I don’t know what that is either, since all of us are a mix of backgrounds and ethnicities). I recently had DNA testing and my profile makes me 52.1% European mainly from Spain (Spaniards conquered Latin America), 37.5% Native American mainly from my indigenous roots in El Salvador, 10.6% Sub-Saharan, Southern East African and North African. I guess my family tree travelled a lot.

Having said all this, I believe my identity does not come from my ethnicity and culture. This doesn’t mean my ethnicity and culture are not valuable to me or that it doesn’t add anything to who I am. But my identity is not defined by it. It comes from my relationship with God in Christ. This is the beauty of what Christ does in our lives. I don’t have to pledge allegiance to a culture or ethnicity (European, Native American, or African). I pledge my full allegiance to Jesus Christ and to his Kingdom. My identity is found in Him.

Here is what God says about this.

  • Regardless of what ethnicity and culture we are from, through faith we are ALL one in Christ Jesus.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28) 

All of us are God’s kaleidoscope but we are one in Christ. I love this and believe this whole heartily!

  • Our country is not in this world.

“But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:16 (NLT)

Our heavenly homeland isn’t here. God has prepared a city for us, and He is not ashamed of calling us their God. Our ethnicity and culture are not a condition or requirement. Faith in Christ is.

  • Our ultimate citizenship is not here.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20 (NIV)

We are citizens of heaven under the rule of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, waiting for Him to come back.

  • God loves people from all ethnicities, all cultures, all tribes, and all languages. His Kingdom will be made of all of them.

I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races, and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

Salvation to our God on his Throne!
Salvation to the Lamb! – Revelation 7:9-10 (The Message)

Our ethnic and cultural background, our native and acquired languages will not be an in issue in God’s kingdom. I believe all of us will fully know ourselves and each other. We will fully understand and accept each other to the point that we won’t even see each other as different. The focus won’t be us, but the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ whom we will worship. I can’t even imagine what that will be like!

 

Here is a follow up post where I share some of my thoughts about how to learn from other cultures.

 

 

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¡Maravillados! Mateo 28:1-10

Posted on April 5, 2021 by eig

Nada e es más maravilloso que el hecho de que Dios Hijo resucitó de entre los muertos. Tal cosa jamás a sido llevada a cabo por nadie. El concepto de resurrección (las personas muertas resucitando o resucitándose así mismas) era ajeno a las ideas contemporáneas de ese entonces. Historias y mitos de esta índole si había, pero eran solo esto.

Pero Jesús fue hombre real. Nació por concepción del Espíritu Santo. Vivió treinta años con nosotros los humanos. Predico por tres años que Él era el Hijo de Dios que había venido a dar su vida. Fue matado. Murió. Fue sepultado y resucitó al tercer día. Su resurrección prueba que era el Hijo de Dios. ¡Esto es maravilloso! ¡Asombroso!

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El Precio que Él pagó por Nosotros

Posted on April 2, 2021 by eig

Mas él herido fue por nuestras rebeliones, molido por nuestros pecados; el castigo de nuestra paz fue sobre él, y por su llaga fuimos nosotros curados.

6 Todos nosotros nos descarriamos como ovejas, cada cual se apartó por su camino; mas Jehová cargó en él el pecado de todos nosotros. (RV 1960)

Este pasaje profético predijo lo que el Señor Jesús experimentaría en lo que llamamos “Viernes Santo”. Experimentó heridas por nuestras propias fallas espirituales. Fue golpeado y aplastado por nuestras malas cosas ante Dios. Fue ese viernes cuando tomó no sólo el castigo humano, sino también el castigo divino para que tuviéramos paz con Dios. Su “llaga” se refiere a su sacrificio que nos trajo nuestra sanidad espiritual.

¿Por qué tuvo que soportar todo eso? ¿Era realmente necesario? Sí. Y es que “todos, como las ovejas, nos hemos extraviado, cada uno de nosotros se ha vuelto a nuestro propio camino”. Las ovejas se extravían y se pierden sin un pastor. Siguen su propio camino y no pueden encontrar su camino de regreso por su cuenta. El pastor tiene que ir a buscarlas. Así somos nosotros. ¿Cuándo nos extraviamos? David dice que nacemos con una predisposición al pecado (Salmos 51:5). Heredamos esto del primer hombre (Romanos 5:12). Por esto somos expertos en desviarnos e irnos lejos de Dios. Nos vamos por nuestro propio camino.

¿Es malo seguir nuestro camino? Sí, porque así como el pecado del primer hombre conduce a la muerte, también el nuestro lleva a pecado que conduce a la muerte. Pero esto no es sólo muerte física, sino una separación eterna después de la muerte. La única manera de remediar esto es que alguien que es un hombre perfecto y Dios  al mismo tiempo pague por nuestros pecados. Eso fue lo que Jesús hizo ese viernes. Dios puso nuestro pecado sobre Él, “Jehová cargó en él el pecado de todos nosotros.”

¿Significa esto que no tengo que hacer nada? Sí y no. No, no puedes hacer nada más aparte de lo que Hizo. Su sacrificio fue suficiente para cubrir nuestros pecados. De hecho, Pablo llama a esto “gracia”. Y esta gracia es más poderosa que el pecado. La gracia es un regalo. Esto es lo que dice la Biblia:

Cuando éramos totalmente incapaces de salvarnos, Cristo vino en el momento preciso y murió por nosotros, pecadores. 7 Ahora bien, casi nadie se ofrecería a morir por una persona honrada, aunque tal vez alguien podría estar dispuesto a dar su vida por una persona extraordinariamente buena; 8 pero Dios mostró el gran amor que nos tiene al enviar a Cristo a morir por nosotros cuando todavía éramos pecadores. – Romanos 5:6-8 (NTV)

Pero sí, hay algo que debemos hacer. Creer en este mensaje. Esto se llama fe. Cuando hacemos esto nuestra relación con Dios se establece directamente para que no sigamos lejos y perdidos sin Él. Volvemos a casa. Pero esta vez es mejor que antes.

“Así que Dios nos aprobó gracias a la fe, y ahora, por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, hay paz entre Dios y nosotros.”  – Romanos 5:1 (PDT)

Jesús al ofrecerse como oveja (en lugar de ti como oveja) pagó lo que le debías a Dios. No tienes que seguir tu propio camino. Mira hacia arriba y ve al Pastor (que tomó forma de oveja humana) en la cruz. No tienes que esperar hasta el Domingo de Pascua. ¡Ya sabes lo que pasó!

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