distracted at the crucial time !

For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” ACTS 5:38,39 NIV.
Last year  Doug Batchelor preached a sermon against " Women as pastors " that sermon created a great controversy .After that sermon the" Adventist today " and spectrum  blogs were filled with commentaries  for or against  the views presented in that sermon . That sermon has been one of the most controversial in recent years . Does  our divided church needs this to be "relevant " . For me I learned a lesson that I hope I will never forget and that is , that our church is bigger than any individual  it doesn't matter how popular that person is , because it is God's church And God is in control . That has been shown in the way the church has been taken care  of the controversy at "La Sierra " we need to trust our system and work with it and allow the Holy spirit to lead . We are living in interesting times , I am amazed at certain group of individuals that believe that if we " modify the 28 fundamentals " that if we "fix the language " of that everything will be ok . We should remember that our Pioneers didn't think it was a good idea to have a " creed " . The Bible is our rule of faith and practice . When I was a bible worker , I never took with me any of those " bible studies guides " I just took my bible and from the bible , I allow Jesus to lead people to him . God has called each one of us to preach the gospel , unfortunately , we have lost our mission  and we get distracted in issues that will not get us ready to be translated  and at the crucial moment when Jesus comes , he is going to find us playing games while there is a world that doesn't know him . Have mercy on us Jesus ! The advice of  Gamaliel to the Pharisees is something we all need to think about . Ministry is not about authority   or who is in control . My Dad had only a fourth grade education , he was never a "pastor " by the church , he never received a salary from the church  but he help plant churches all over the western part of El salvador . Jesus says "Do not work for the food that spoils ,but for the food that endures to eternal life which the son of man will give you " John 6:27.   I pray that we will  proclaim the  everlasting gospel and  don't get distracted by all these controversies , at the same time , let's allow God to lead, let's not be afraid of the leading of the Holy spirit , remember that he will lead us into all truth . And Truth many times , goes against ideas that we treasure and is rooted in our heart . Only Jesus can help us , let's turn to him with humility .

Don't expect others to do anything for you .

Yes , don't expect others to do anything for you .

Estamos viviendo en los últimos días.

 Estamos viviendo en el tiempo del fin. Los signos de rápido cumplimiento de los tiempos de declarar que la venida de Cristo está cerca. Los días en que vivimos son solemnes e importantes. El Espíritu de Dios es poco a poco pero con seguridad se extrae de la tierra. Las placas y los juicios ya están cayendo sobre los despreciadores de la gracia de Dios. Las calamidades por tierra y mar, el estado inestable de la sociedad, las alarmas de la guerra, son portentosas. Se prevé abordar los acontecimientos de primera magnitud. "Las agencias del mal están combinando sus fuerzas y la consolidación. Ellos son el fortalecimiento de la última gran crisis. Grandes cambios están a punto de tener lugar en nuestro mundo, y los movimientos finales serán los rápidos. "- Elena G. de White, Testimonios, vol. 9, página 11. ¿Ya llegamos? El apóstol Pablo escribiendo a los Romanos dice: "1 Y ello, la comprensión de la actualidad: La hora ha llegado para que se despierte de su sueño, pues nuestra salvación está ahora más cerca que cuando creímos. 12 La noche está a punto de terminar, el día ya casi está aquí. Así que dejemos a un lado las obras de las tinieblas y se puso la armadura de la luz. 13 Vivamos decentemente, como en el día, no en orgías y borracheras, no en la inmoralidad sexual y libertinaje, ni en disensiones y envidias. 14 Más bien, vestíos con el Señor Jesucristo, y no creo que se preocupen por satisfacer los deseos de la carne. (Romanos 13) En Mateo 24, leemos acerca de las señales del regreso de Cristo "Mientras Jesús estaba sentado en el monte de los Olivos, los discípulos se acercaron a él en privado. "Dile a nosotros", dijeron, "cuando sucederá esto, y qué señal habrá de tu venida y del fin del siglo?"
 4 Jesús le respondió: "Mirad que nadie os engañe. 5 Porque vendrán muchos en mi nombre, diciendo: Yo soy el Mesías, y engañarán a muchos. 6 Y oiréis de guerras y rumores de guerras, pero procuren que no se alarme. Estas cosas deben suceder, pero el final está aún por llegar. 7 Se levantará nación contra nación y reino contra reino. Habrá hambres y terremotos en diferentes lugares. 8 Y todo esto será principio de dolores. El versículo 8 dice: "Y todo esto será principio de dolores. Contracciones se hacen más frecuentes cuando el bebé está a punto de nacer. Así que todos estos eventos (terremotos y todos los desastres que estos) son cada vez más y más frecuentes, Sabemos que el mundo está cambiando. ¿Qué pasa con la iglesia? Mateo 25 Describir la iglesia "dormir" y algunos sin el aceite del Espíritu Santo, en Apocalipsis 3: 15 Yo conozco tus obras, que ni eres frío ni caliente. ¡Ojalá fueses frío o una o la otra! 16 Así, porque eres tibio, ni caliente ni frío voy a vomitarte de mi boca. 17 Porque tú dices: Yo soy rico, me he enriquecido, y no falta nada. "Pero no te das cuenta que tú eres un desventurado, miserable, pobre, ciego y desnudo. 18 yo te aconsejo que de mí compres oro refinado en fuego, por lo que puede llegar a ser rico, y vestiduras blancas para vestirte, para que pueda cubrir su vergonzosa desnudez, y colirio para ungir tus ojos, para que pueda ver "La buena noticia es que Jesús no nos deja allí, él sigue "a quien amo Yo reprendo y castigo. Por lo tanto, sé fervoroso y arrepiéntete. 20 ¡Aquí estoy! Yo estoy a la puerta y llamo. Si alguno oye mi voz y abre la puerta, entraré, y cenaré con esa persona, y ellos conmigo.
   21 Para el que es victorioso, le daré el derecho de sentarse conmigo en mi trono, así como que salió victorioso y se sentó con mi Padre en su trono. 22 El que tenga oídos, que escuchen lo que el Espíritu dice a las iglesias. " Jesús está llamando a la puerta de nuestro corazón, ¿le vas a dejar  entrar  permitirle  cambiar su vida? Pido a Dios que digamos que si .

Are we there yet ?

We are living in the last days .

 We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plaques and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.

“The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.” – Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 9, page 11.

Are we there yet ?  The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans says “¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.( Romans 13) In Mathew 24 we read about the signs of the return of Christ “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

 ⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.   Verse  8  says “ All these are the beginning of birth pains . Contractions get  more frequent  when the baby is about to be born . So all these events ( earthquakes  and  all these disasters ) are  becoming more and more frequent , We know that the world is changing  . What about the church ? Mathew 25 Describe the church  “ sleeping “ and some without the oil of the Holy Spirit  , in Revelation 3: ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” The good news is that Jesus doesn’t leave us there  ,  he continues “hose whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

   ²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts , would you let him  in  and allow him to change  your life ? I pray that we will answer .

No fear for the future .

      When we look at the uncertainty of the future and how difficult things look ahead. We see all the impossibilities and doubt fills our minds but there is no reason to fear the future.  The nation of Israel before crossing the Jordan river, I am sure  they were thinking about how difficult the conquest on the new territory about the challenges they were going to face settling in, I am sure they had fear of failure and doubt about accomplishing all the things God had promised them.  New challenges in life always cause us fear and doubt so Joshua tell the children of Israel "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. ⁴ Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before."Joshuah 3:4 

      Joshua is assuring them that God's presence will be with them.  I wonder how many times, God put new challenges in our lives, new territories  that we need to conquer in our spiritual walk  and you know "you have never been that way before "But God delivers you. Every day is a new battle, How can we face those battles without fear?  Joshuah led God by does something remarkable he tells 12 leaders "Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” Joshua 4.  We need to have memorials in life and when we are facing trials ,and challenges we need to remember the way God has delivered us in the past . The messenger of the Lord tells us " we have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and his teaching in our past history " LS 196 . Ellen White encourages us to look to our past and see how God has led us. 

      Two years ago, I was doing bible work in Visalia, Ca.  But my dream has always been to be a Pastor, after 7 months I spoke to the leaders of the Central California conference and they told me they could not sponsor me, that they had some people already waiting, I was the new guy and there was not enough money to send me.  I felt so disappointed and decided to come to the Seminary anyway, with two small children, my wife, and without any source of income or any savings, by the grace of God I will finish my Mdiv this year. God has provided in miraculous ways, God has bless my work with the little income to pay for classes, rent, food, clothing, and all the things that we need and good friends who have done so much, praying and helping me with money just when things seem impossible, God has made a way.  Praise Jesus for all his blessings for giving us memorials of his blessings  in our past so we don't have fear for the future . 

Near at the door but be patient .

Is Jesus coming really soon ?.On the one  hand , there are some Christians who are making plans and spending all their energies and efforts in the things of this world and there are others who are  only thinking to  flee to the mountains  . Who is right and who is wrong ?The answer is both ! let me explain this , in the book of James 5 :7" Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near." What is James trying to tell us in this text ? If the coming of the Lord is near why do we need to be patient ? what lessons can we learn from the farmers? How are we supposed to wait ? like the lady who wants to flee to the mountains ? or like the person who have their priorities in this life ? James is telling us , Jesus could come soon or it could be many years what you need to do is work as the farmer , the farmer just doesn't wait for the harvest , he works to get a harvest . If he only waits and doesn't work , there is no harvest .Let's keep ourselves busy in the Lord's vineyard ,and one day we will see that great harvest of revelation 14 ^"14And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
¹⁵And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
¹⁶And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." I long for that day when the son of man will trust his sickle and reap the ripe harvest .So let us live our lives for Jesus watching for his coming , preparing others , and keeping ourselves busy doing his will so if it is soon or in a thousand years , or whenever he comes , I want to hear the words " well done , good and faithful servant , Is that something you want to be a part of ? I pray that all of us can be part of that great multitude , the redeemed . Blessings .

At the feet of Jesus .

The hymn says " draw me Jesus near the cross " This should be our prayer always. When we compare ourselves with others we will always feel good about ourselves, the scribe felt good about himself because he was not like the Publican ( Luke 18 ) we need to realize the sin is more than just "making the wrong decisions " but sin is a condition that we all are .For all have sinned Paul says and fall short of the glory of God . Ellen White explains this in Steps to Christ page 18 "It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all has their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness". Yes, we need to realize how our condition is Jeremiah 17 says that our heart is desperate wicked .I remember one person who always spoke about "standing up for God “ what she meant was that when something did not appear to be right, that person would "yell, mistreat and accuse people " God doesn't need those " standing up for him " The Apostle Peter understood this, after the miracle fish, he realized he was in the presence of God and Luke 5 says When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be fishers of man " it is only at the feet of Jesus when we are on our knees when we realize how sinful we are and that only Jesus can heal us ,but he never leave us how we are , he never condemn us ,he always say "don't be afraid " because when we recognize our sinfulness , he knows that he can work with us , I pray that all of us spend more time on our knees at the feet of Jesus so we can experience his grace .

Grace and peace be with you !

Fredy